Over 1900 Lives Saved in California Last Year by Seatbelts, Air Bags and Helmets

Many More Could Be Saved by Universal Usage

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Aug. 3 -- In California 1,920 people know that they are alive today because they used seatbelts, child safety seats, motorcycle helmets, or had cars equipped with air bags in 2008. These are lives that were saved during serious crashes by being properly restrained or protected.

"Nearly two thousand people, in just the last year alone, have lives and futures today because they took the small amount time and effort to buckle up or use a helmet," said Christopher J. Murphy, Director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. "It is staggering when you contemplate the tragedies that have been averted that would have otherwise affected tens of thousands of their families and friends."

The estimates from the National Highway Safety Administration are calculated using the effectiveness of each device. Since 2006, an additional 6,656 lives have been saved in the state due to these same criteria. The 1,920 lives saved in 2008 consists of:

  --  33 children age 4 and under saved by being properly restrained in a
      child safety seat
  --  1,424 adults and children age 5 and older saved by using seat belts
  --  173 front seat occupants saved by the deployment of frontal air bags

  --  291 motorcycle riders and passengers saved by wearing a proper helmet

Many more lives could be saved if everyone used proper restraints or had cars equipped with air bags. In California last year, an estimated 161 additional people would have survived crashes if they had been wearing seat belts. Another 26 motorcycle riders would be alive if they had been wearing helmets.

California continues to be a national leader in traffic safety efforts, reflected in the recent announcement that the overall traffic fatality totals had dropped 14 percent in 2008 alone, and 19 percent over the last two years. Planning and innovation among state and local agencies, businesses, and safety advocates, plus the implementation of the California Strategic Highway Safety Plan, as well as positive actions and attitudes of individual Californians every day have all added to recent gains in traffic safety.