LAFAYETTE PARISH — Unbuckled drivers are responsible for a disproportionately large share of Louisiana’s roadway deaths, and safety officials say the solution is simple: wear seat belts correctly.
Destination Zero Deaths is reminding residents to wear seat belts and wear them the right way after the latest data revealed that only 11.6% of Louisiana’s population chooses not to buckle up, yet that same group accounts for 56% of the state’s roadway fatalities.
As one of the busiest travel periods of the year approaches, officials say the message is clear: buckling up properly can help to prevent serious injury or death in the event of a crash.
“The seat belt is intended to keep you in your seat, secure in your seat in the event of a crash,” said Ron Czajkowski, afety coordinator with Destination Zero Deaths.
Seat belts are designed to distribute crash forces across the body’s strongest areas, the shoulder and hips, reducing the risk of ejection, spinal injury, and fatal trauma. Proper seat belt placement is across the upper torso and over the hips — not the stomach or neck — and worn correctly it remains one of the most effective defenses against severe injury.
“Choosing to wear that seat belt in the first place, wearing it the correct way, will drastically lower the chances of you being seriously injured or killed,” Czajkowski said, noting that if the remaining 11.6% buckled up, the state could cut fatalities by more than half.
With one of the highest travel periods of the year underway, officials are urging drivers to make buckling up a non-negotiable part of every trip, regardless of distance, and to help ensure you're sitting at the family dinner table this holiday season.
