Many teens view belt use as ‘uncool’

Peer pressure and embarrassment are among the top reasons why teenagers don’t wear safety belts as often as they should, an informal poll by Volkswagen of America Inc. found.

Thirty-two percent of the several hundred high school students and teachers polled said the main reason teens don’t buckle up is because they view safety belt use as “uncool” and would be embarrassed or face peer pressure if they wore the belts. Thirty percent said teens don’t buckle up because they think the belts are uncomfortable.

Twenty percent said the primary reason teens don’t use safety belts is that they’re only traveling a short distance. However, research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has shown that most crashes occur close to home.

Eighteen percent said the main reason teens don’t buckle up is that they feel that nothing will happen to them—despite the fact that most students polled had a friend or relative who had been in a crash and benefited from wearing a safety belt.

Volkswagen conducted the poll as part of its “Fasten Your Seat Belt … Go Far” initiative to educate teens about the importance of wearing safety belts. "We believe the most effective messenger for a teenager is another teenager and our survey findings confirm this," said Frank Maguire, vice president of sales and marketing for Volkswagen of America. "This is a national health problem that could be cured if teens thought it was hipper and more important for their well-being to wear a safety belt. We want to spread the message from teen to teen that safety belts save lives."

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people age 15 to 24 in the United States, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. And in 2001, 63 percent of 16- to 20-year-old drivers and passengers killed or seriously injured in crashes were not wearing a safety belt, according to NHTSA.

The poll was conducted in Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami/Fort Lauderdale, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.

Source - www.buckleupamerica.org

[Return to News Page]