lcherald.com

A public service message from the U.S. Department of Transportation

If we want to protect children we need to do more to reach adults that don't wear their safety belts. Why? A recent safety study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that an alarming number of unbuckled adults don't buckle their kids, despite laws that mandate child restraint use-and common sense that kids should be properly restrained in car seats and booster seats that are proven to save lives.

The NHTSA study confirmed that when a driver was wearing a safety belt, 91.7 percent of the children, weighing 80 lbs or less, were restrained in a child safety seat or safety belts. But, when the driver was not wearing a safety belt, the percentage of children who were restrained dropped to 62.3 percent.

As adults, we must set an example for our children, protect their lives and our own, and make sure that every passenger is buckled up, every trip, every time.