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According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) the following is true:

Occupant Fatalities by Age and Restraint Use

In 2004, 31,693 occupants of passenger vehicles (passenger cars, light trucks, vans, and SUVs) were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, 74 percent of the 42,636 traffic fatalities reported for the year.

Of the 31,693 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities in 2004, restraint use was unknown for 2,183 (7 percent). Of the 29,510 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities for which restraint use was known, an estimated 16,364 (55 percent) were unrestrained. Of the 648 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities 13 to 15 years old for which restraint use was known, 438 (68 percent) were unrestrained - highest percentage for any group. Of the 3,342 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities 21 to 24 years old for which restraint use was known, 2,206 (66 percent) were unrestrained, which was the second highest percentage for any age group.

In 2004, there were 417 passenger vehicle occupant fatalities among children under 4 years of age. Of the 391 fatalities in this age group for which restraint use was known, an estimated 136 (35 percent) were unrestrained. Of the 316 fatalities among children 4 to 7 years old for which restraint use was known, an estimated 157 (50 percent) were unrestrained.

Driver and Occupant Fatalities by Vehicle Type and Restraint Use

A total of 21,910 passenger vehicle drivers were killed in traffic crashes in 2004. Among the 20,446 passenger vehicle driver fatalities for which restraint use was known, 68 percent of the drivers of pickup trucks killed were unrestrained, compared to 60 percent for SUVs, 50 percent for vans, and 48 percent for passenger cars. A total of 9,783 occupants of passenger vehicles were killed in traffic crashes in 2004. Among the 9,064 passenger vehicle fatalities for which restraint use was known, 73 percent of the passengers in pickup trucks were unrestrained, compared to 67 percent for SUVs, 60 percent for vans, and 53 percent for passenger cars.

Safety Belt Use and Benefits

Research has found that lap/shoulder safety belts, when used, reduce 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 light truck occupants, safety belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent.

Ejection from the vehicle is one of the most injurious events that can happen to a person in a crash. In fatal crashes in 2004, 74 percent of passenger vehicle occupants who were totally ejected from the vehicle were killed. Safety belts are effective in preventing total ejections: only 1 percent of the occupants reported to have been using restraints were totally ejected, compared with 29 percent of the unrestrained occupants.

Lives Saved by Safety Belts

Among passenger vehicle occupants over 4 years old, safety belts saved an estimated 15,434 lives in 2004. If ALL passenger vehicle occupants over age 4 wore safety belts, 21,273 lives (this is an additional 5,839) could have been saved in 2004.

Other Safety and Seatbelt Advocacy Groups

Below is a list of other web sites helpful to anyone concerned about the use of safety belts and other safety issues. If you would like to suggest another web site for this page, e-mail us your suggestion.