Click It or Ticket Starts this Week
This Thursday, Nov. 19, Fairfax County Police will be joining other state and local law enforcement officers to help save more lives by strongly enforcing seat belt laws. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA), one in five Americans fails to regularly wear a seatbelt when driving a motor vehicle.
Need a tougher reminder? Read the following statistics and keep yourself safe. Be home for your family this holiday season. Buckle up!
In 2013, a total of 21,132 passenger vehicle occupants were killed in crashes, and almost half (49 percent) of them were NOT wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.
Approximately 64 percent of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in nighttime crashes in 2013 were NOT wearing their seat belts, compared to 48 percent during daytime hours.
Among passenger vehicle occupant fatalities in 2013, the age group 21 to 24 had the highest percentage of occupants killed that were unrestrained: 2,415 fatalities, of which 1,340 (55 percent) were not wearing seat belts.
Seat belts saved approximately 12,584 lives nationwide in 2013. If everyone had worn seat belts that year, an additional 2,800 lives could have been saved.
Proper seat belt use reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passengers by 45 percent and the risk of moderate to serious injury by 50 percent.
Ejection from a vehicle is one of the most dangerous events that can happen to a person in a crash. In fatal crashes in 2013, 79 percent of the passenger vehicle occupants who were totally ejected from vehicles were killed. Seatbelts are effective in preventing total ejections; only one percent of the occupants reported to have been using restraints were totally ejected.
For more information, please visit NHTSA’s Thanksgiving Holiday Campaign.
Volunteer Advocates Sought
The Northern Virginia Long Term Care Ombudsman Program needs volunteer advocates for residents in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Contact Lisa Callahan at 703-324-5861, TTY 711 or email Lisa.Callahan@fairfaxcounty.gov. Visit www.fairfaxcounty.gov/dfs/olderadultservices/ltcombudsman/.
If You See Something … Say Something
This weekend's terrorist attacks in Paris, France are a stark reminder of the times we live in. But while terror attacks are horrifying, remember this guidance from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security: “It’s not about paranoia or being afraid. It’s about standing up and protecting our communities…one detail at a time because a lot of little details can become a pattern.”
"See Something, Say Something" is more than a catchphrase. If you see something you know shouldn't be there — or someone's behavior that doesn't seem quite right — say something. Because only you know what’s supposed to be a regular part of your everyday.
Learn more about what you can do at the Department of Homeland Security's page at http://www.dhs.gov/see-something-say-something.