More Americans are “clicking it” than ever before, with 85 percent of adults wearing their seatbelt on a regular basis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The new national statistics report 85 percent of adults wearing their seatbelts regularly, compared with only 11 percent who did so in 1982. The staggering results are even more in some states, which report seatbelt use among 90 percent of adults, according to news reports .
As a North Charleston car accident attorney, , I’m happy to see such high seatbelt usage across the country. Auto crashes are the leading cause of death in the U.S. among people aged five to 34, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, and nearly 34,000 people died in traffic-related crashes in 2009.
I urge South Carolina drivers who don’t use seatbelts to do so. One in seven adults doesn’t buckle up on a regular basis, leaving them in danger of losing their lives in the event of a car accident. South Carolina didn’t make the list of states that have a 90 percent seatbelt use rate, but I think that could be accomplished. South Carolina car accidents can be extremely dangerous and can cost lives and money. I urge everyone to continue this upswing and get everyone to always use their seatbelts.