Wearing a seat belt is your best defense in a traffic crash.

The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety urges all drivers to make a difference; Always buckle up- everyone, every trip, every time.

The coalition wants to remind teens how dangerous a car ride can be if they don’t take wearing their seat belt seriously.

Car crashes remain the No. 1 cause of death for teens; and often times, a seat belt makes all the difference. Law enforcement will be out in full force March 15-31 to crack down on unbelted teen drivers and help save lives.

The national average for seat-belt usage is 91 percent. Missouri is below that average at only 86 percent, and teens in Missouri fall even lower at 75.5 percent.

Consider some of the reasons you should choose to wear your seat belt:
· Under Missouri’s Graduated License Law, permit drivers and all passengers must wear seat belts.
· Of the 185 teenagers killed as vehicle occupants in traffic crashes from 2017-2019, 72 percent were not buckled up.
· When properly used, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injuries to front-seat passenger vehicle occupants by 45 percent and reduce the risk of moderate-to-critical injuries by 50 percent.

For more information on the Show-Me Zero plan and teen seat belt safety, visit saveMOlives.com.