For most, putting on your seatbelt is a simple reflex. For those who still prefer living life on the edge, some new data may convince you otherwise: Half of all Americans killed by car crashes in 2021 were unbuckled.
The D.C. region saw a similar trend, according to data released on Tuesday from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Department of Transportation, based on data from 2021 reports from a National Occupant Protection Use Survey and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
The vast majority of people remember to stay buckled up — around nine out of 10 in D.C. (95.9%) and Maryland (91.4%) and about eight out of 10 in Virginia (81.7%). But when you look at those killed in local car crashes, 50% of the victims were unrestrained.
The data show a national trend set in 2020, when unrestrained deaths broke the 50% mark for the first time since 2012.
Getting into the specifics of the 2021 data, in D.C., five of the 10 car crash deaths came from unrestrained people. Of the 681 people who were killed in crashes in Virginia, 50% were not buckled up. Maryland saw 334 deaths, 49% of which were unrestrained.
“Putting on your seat belt only takes two seconds, but it can save your life,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Ann Carlson said in a news release. “Your seat belt is your best protection against serious or fatal injuries in a crash – and wearing your seat belt is also the law in most states. Whether you’re in the front seat or the back, use your seat belt on every trip, every time.”
The data also showed two-thirds of young adults ages 25 to 34 in the U.S. who were killed in crashes weren’t using a seat belt, making it the highest percentage of deaths in one age group.
Sixty percent of deaths in pick-up trucks were unbuckled, significantly higher than their sedan (47%) and SUV (49%) counterparts.
The data also showed twice as many men were killed in car crashes compared to women (17,303 men versus 8,979 women). It found women were also more likely to buckle up than their male counterparts (38% of victims unbuckled versus 48% of victims).
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