As we approach the 2/3 mark of the 100 Deadliest Days – the time period between Memorial Day and Labor Day when traffic deaths soar – AAA is urging the public to double down on seat belt use.
AAA Idaho public affairs director Matthew Conde said at last count, 87% of Idahoans are consistently wearing a seat belt, but there are still tragic stories where a seat belt may have made a big difference.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, if everyone who died in a crash without wearing a seat belt had done so, half of them may have been spared.
In a 65 MPH crash, a 100-lb. person weighs 6,500 pounds in crash force.
With the average driver needing at least 1.5 seconds to see a danger, react, and start applying the brakes, some stopping distances are too great to prevent a crash, making seat belts even more critical.