Don’t Be a Turkey This Thanksgiving.
Buckle Up America. Every Trip. Every Time.
Urges the Paramus Police Department

Paramus, NJ – Highway travel during the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday week is expected to be heavy in the Paramus area as families pile into their cars and head off for holiday destinations. But there’s one sure recipe that can turn a joyful holiday into a tragedy: failure to buckle up.

“Seat belts are the single most important safety device in your vehicle and they have saved countless lives and prevented untold numbers of injuries over the years,” said Paramus Police Chief Richard Cary. “I urge everyone driving on our state’s roads this holiday to drive carefully, don’t drive impaired and, most important, buckle up each and every trip, night or day.”

Nationally during the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2008 (which ran from 6 p.m. Wednesday, November 26, to 5:59 a.m., Monday, December 1), 389 passenger vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, including 156 during daylight hours (6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.) and 231 during nighttime (6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.). Two fatalities were unknown regarding time.

Nighttime is the most dangerous time on the road because seat belt use is lower. Of the 231 passenger vehicle occupant deaths in motor vehicle traffic crashes at night during the 2008 Thanksgiving holiday period over two-thirds (67%) did not have their seat belts fastened (where seat belt use was known); while 40 percent of fatalities in daytime crashes were not wearing seat belts.

“Thanksgiving is the iconic American holiday,” said Cary. “Unfortunately, some people seem willing to forego this classic family gathering for the pleasures of an emergency room, or worse, the morgue, simply because they didn’t take a second to buckle up before driving.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, regular seat belt use is the single most effective way to protect people and reduce fatalities in motor vehicle crashes. Research has shown that when lap and shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent.

“If you fail to buckle up during this holiday period, you run the risk of getting a ticket, or worse, getting killed or injured,” Cary warned. “Make sure the only belt left unbuckled this Thanksgiving is the one at the dinner table, not the one in your vehicle.”