One in four teens say they don’t always buckle their seatbelt when in a car without an adult, according to a survey of teenagers age 13 to 19 conducted by the General Motors Foundation and Safe Kids Worldwide.
Teens surveyed gave a variety of reasons for not wearing a seatbelt, include forgetting to use it, stating that the seatbelt is uncomfortable, and saying they didn’t buckle up for a short trip.
The report accompanying the survey results compiles a number of statistics related to teens. Motor vehicle accidents are the top killer of teenagers in the country — 2,439 died in crashes in 2012. In half of those crashes, the teenager had not buckled his or her seatbelt. That statistic hasn’t changed much in the last decade, according to the report. But the report cites some good news: the number of teenage fatalities has fallen 56% since its peak in 2002.
The report includes strategies for parents to encourage their teenagers to wear a seatbelt every time they get in a car including making sure parents themselves always buckle up.
The report contains a helpful inforgraphic.
