Have a Safe Memorial Day Weekend: Buckle Up, Don't Drink and Drive

Law Enforcement Will Intensify

ITASCA, Ill., May 15 -- Memorial Day is the beginning of the travel season in America when many of us take to the road for vacations or weekend trips. Whether your Memorial Day trip is across the country or just across town, remember that all passengers must be buckled up. The National Safety Council (NSC) estimates that 26,400 people will suffer nonfatal disabling injuries over the holiday in crashes. Buckling up can substantially reduce the severity of injuries in nonfatal crashes.

Driving safely and taking the proper precautions can mean the difference between having a fun trip and becoming a statistic: the NSC also predicts that 498 Americans will die in motor-vehicle crashes over the 3-1/4 -day Memorial Day weekend.

"The Council issues this estimate each year to save lives," said NSC president Alan C. McMillan. "I'm pleased to report that seat belt use in the United States has increased from 58 percent to 73 percent over the last six years. However, we still have a long way to go to reach the 90 % level of other industrialized nations. An estimated 374 people will not die this holiday weekend because they will be wearing their seat belts. An additional 131 lives could be saved over the holiday weekend if everyone wore safety belts."

And be sure to buckle up your children. More than 11,000 law enforcement agencies are issuing tickets this week as part of Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles up Children -- the largest-ever nationwide crackdown on drunk drivers and those who don't buckle up and don't buckle up kids. From May 20- 27, officers coast-to-coast will blanket roadways with checkpoints and stepped-up patrols, sharply intensifying enforcement of drunk driving, seat belt and child restraint laws. It's the law in all fifty states and the District of Columbia that children must be restrained; however, six out of ten children who die in crashes are unbuckled.

This nationwide mobilization will place special emphasis on protecting teens and young adults. New data show more than half of all teens who die in crashes are completely unrestrained. According to new data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Fatal Analysis Reporting System, 4,216 teens, ages 16-19, died and thousands more were injured in traffic crashes in 2000. Fatality rates for teens are twice that of older drivers and the risk of crashes for teens is four times that of older drivers.

Safety experts recommend using a rear-facing child seat for infants until they are at least 20 pounds and one year of age. Use a forward-facing child seat for children who are 20 pounds and one year of age until the reach 40 pounds and approximately four years of age. Use a belt positioning booster seat from about 40 pounds until the child can sit with his or her back straight against the vehicle seat back cushion, with knees bent over the vehicle's seat edge. Even children large enough to fit properly in a regular seat belt are safer in the back of the vehicle.

Finally, don't let drinking and driving turn a holiday celebration into a tragedy. Even moderate consumption of wine or beer impairs your ability to make proper decisions on the road. A May 2000 Journal of the American Medical Association study reported that nearly two out of three children who are killed in alcohol-related crashes are passengers riding with an impaired driver. In most of these cases, children were riding with an impaired driver who failed to buckle them up.

This year's Memorial Day weekend officially begins at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 24 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 27.

The National Safety Council is a not-for-profit, nongovernmental, international public service organization dedicated to protecting life and promoting health. For additional information about NSC activities, visit the Council's website http://www.nsc.org .