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Megan Anderson, Megan@Hometown-News.Com A new study reveals that more people across the state are wearing their seatbelts. The University of South Carolina survey commissioned by the state Public Safety Department shows that 79 percent of the state’s population is choosing to use safety belts.
The percentage represents the historical high in South Carolina since 1991, but while the state’s overall percentage is record-breaking this year, it is still below the national safety belt usage rate of 82 percent.
The survey was produced to evaluate the effectiveness of the state’s Buckle Up South Carolina campaign, which ran from May 19 to June 1, and revealed other facts about motorists across the state.
85.8 percent of women use safety belts, compared to 74.2 percent of men. White occupants also wear seat belts at a higher rate than non-white occupants, with a percentage of 82.4 compared to one of 70.9.
Of the 497 motorcyclists observed, 46.1 percent were wearing helmets.
The study was conducted in 16 counties, representing the state’s geographic regions of the upper state, the midlands, and the coastal area. Within the three regions, counties were also classified as either rural or urban.
As a rural community in the upstate region, Cherokee County was one of the areas selected for the study.
Data collected during seat belt counts shows that 77.5 percent of drivers and passengers used shoulder style safety belts in Cherokee County.
As a passenger, and soon - to - be driver, in Cherokee County, Green tries to stay in the majority.
”I think it’s a good thing that more people are wearing their seat belts, in Cherokee County and South Carolina,” she said. “I learned that it is important because my cousin Lori Anne Biddix died in a car accident from not wearing one and because of that, I wear one more often.”
According to the South Carolina Department of Public Safety:
- Safety belts are the most effective safety devices in vehicles today, estimated to save 9,500 lives each year.
- Every hour, at least one person dies in this country because he or she didn’t buckle up. Failure to use a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior.
- The fatality rate for people not wearing safety belts in crashes is 1 in 40, while the fatality rate for those who buckle up is 1 in 732.
- Research has found that proper use of lap/shoulder belts reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent (for occupants of light trucks, 60 percent and 65 percent respectively).
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