NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEBRASKA STATE PATROL
www.nsp.state.ne.us
Contact: Deb Collins 402-479-4985
October 5, 2009

Seat Belt Reminder Issued in
Wake of Weekend Fatalities

(Lincoln, NE)-The Nebraska State Patrol reminds everyone to buckle up in the wake of three deaths in crashes in which seat belts were not in use.

A 42 year old Chapman woman killed in a two vehicle crash on Friday, October 2, 2009, in Merrick County, was not wearing a seat belt.   On Saturday, October 3, 2009, a 34-year old Crookston man killed in a single vehicle rollover crash in Cherry County, was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from his vehicle.  On Sunday, October 4, 2009, a 40-year-old Lincoln woman succumbed to injuries she received in a single vehicle rollover crash on September 27, 2009, in Lancaster County.  She was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and was ejected from the vehicle.

While not every crash is survivable, statistics from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety (NOHS) show seat belts increase your odds of surviving a crash by up to 50%.

“We are saddened by the loss of any life on our roadways,” said Major Russ Stanczyk, Field Services Commander.  “While statistics tell us more drivers are buckling up these days, we continue to see fatal crashes in which seat belts were not in use.”

According to the NOHS, the observed safety belt use rate in Nebraska in 2009 is 86%, compared with 83 % in 2008.

Major Stanczyk said, “When we work a crash, where seat belts were not used and could have possibly made the difference, it is extremely difficult.  We encourage all drivers to put the odds in their favor and buckle-up.”  

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