Vital Signs

States can:

• Pass a primary enforcement seat belt law.
• Make sure that seat belt laws apply to everyone in the car, not just those in the front seat.
• Ensure that fines for not wearing a seat belt are high enough to be effective.
• Make sure that police and state troopers enforce all seat belt laws.
• Support seat belt laws with visible police presence and awareness campaigns for the public.
• Educate the public to make seat belt use a social norm.

Employers can:

• Post information in break rooms and parking lots that encourages employees to buckle up.
• Identify the cost of car crashes to their workforce in terms of medical care and lost wages.
• Require seat belt use in company vehicles at all times, and in personal vehicles while on company business.
• Develop active enforcement programs for staff about seat belt use when driving company vehicles. 

Everyone can:

• Use a seat belt on every trip, no matter how short.
• Encourage all passengers in the car to buckle up, including those in the back seat.

Parent and caregivers can:

• Use a seat belt on every trip, no matter how short. This sets a good example.
• Make sure children are properly buckled up in a seat belt, booster seat, or car seat, whichever is appropriate.*
• Have all children age 12 and under sit in the back seat.
• Never seat a child in front of an air bag.
• Place children in the middle of the back seat when possible, because it is the safest spot in the vehicle.

Health professionals can:

• Encourage patients to make wearing a seat belt a habit.
• Wear seat belts themselves and encourage their colleagues to do the same.
• Remind patients about the importance of seat belt use.

*Motor vehicle crashes are also a leading cause of death among children. To learn more about which type of safety seat is best for your child’s age and size, visit www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety.