Seat Belt Safety Facts in US: Could better designed seat belts lead to higher usage rates lead and fewer fatalities?
The Advocates for Highway & Auto Safety stated that in 2013, 21,132 occupants of passenger vehicles were killed in motor vehicle crashes, and almost half were unrestrained at the time of the crash. In 2015, the US National Safety Council said nearly 19,000 passengers and drivers were killed in motor vehicle accidents from January to June, which is 14 percent higher than the same period in 2014. The number of motor vehicle crashes has been increasing each year since 2007, and the lack of seat belt usage is still the leading cause of death in these accidents. In 2014 the nationwide seat belt use rate was still only 87% as measured by NHTSA’s National Occupant Protection Use Survey, and as low as 69% in South Dakota and 70% in New Hampshire.
We at GWR know that many seat belts sold in new commercial and specialty vehicles today are not engineered to bring additional comfort and maximum safety to occupants. Because GWR designs and manufacturers custom seat belts with the goal of saving more lives, our engineers look at all aspects of the vehicle and seats to make the seat belt more comfortable during long trips, and also develop the most innovative restraint systems. Designing seat belts for comfort and using only the best components and application engineers is important not just for increasing usage but also decreasing fatalities.

Our Product link: https://gwrco.com/seatbelts

[1] Primary Enforcement Seat Belt Laws. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2002. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety., June 2015., http://saferoads.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015-06-09-Primary-Seat-Belt-Fact-Sheet.pdf

[2] STAV, ZIV. “U.S. TRAFFIC DEATHS, INJURIES AND RELATED COSTS UP IN 2015.” NewsWeek., 20 May 2016., http://www.newsweek.com/us-traffic-deaths-injuries-and-related-costs-2015-363602

[3] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration And U.s. Department Of Transportation. “Seat Belt Use in 2014—Use Rates in the States and Territories.” TRAFFIC SAFETY FACTS, June 2015., http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812149.pdf.