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SEARCHA new survey from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles finds that 15.9% of motorists are driving without a seat belt — a slight bump up over a record low of 14.7% in 2017.
Seat-belt use in Virginia has reached 84%, which is below the national average of 90%.
Photo via State Farm/Flickr.
A new survey from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles finds that 15.9% of motorists are driving without a seat belt — a slight bump up over a record low of 14.7% in 2017, reports WHSV.
Virginia's rate of seat-belt compliance of approximately 84% lags behind the national average of 90%.
In 2017, 308 people in Virginia lost their lives because they were not wearing a seat belt during a crash. In 2016 and 2015, there were 304 and 310 fatalities, respectively, for people who failed to buckle up, reports WHSV.
Moreover, according to Virginia's DMV, an estimated 30% of unbelted motorists are ejected during a collision, reports CBS19News.
Experts note that there is ample evidence that seat belts save lives. Seat belt users are 45% less likely to be fatally injured in a crash and 79% of drivers and passengers ejected in a crash are killed, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
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