Kentucky Parents Urge Teens to Buckle Up

The parents of a daughter who lost her life in a Kentucky car accident are using the tragedy to educate other teens of the dangers of distracted driving and the importance of wearing a seat belt. Megan Miller died in a tragic car accident in 2006 after she was ejected from her car when over-correcting from being distracted.

For their efforts in promoting seatbelt safety in Daviess County, KY, the family was awarded the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Outstanding Service Award. The presentation was made at halftime of the Kentucky-Florida football game held in Lexington, KY on September 24.

The “Buckle Up for Megan Miller” campaign has been taken into the classroom to show students “first-hand the deadly consequences of distracted driving without a seatbelt.” Apollo High School in Owensboro, KY, approximately 180 miles west of Lexington, is using driving simulators where in less than five minutes students learn the dangers of being distracted when behind the wheel.

The Messenger-Inquirer.com reports the Millers are serious about getting their safety belt message out. Their educational opportunities include: sponsoring a billboard in Daviess County encouraging seat belt usage, participating in the Daviess County High School lifesaver club, traveling to KY events with the Kentucky State Transportation Department of Highway Safety and managing a Facebook page.

According to the NHTSA, public campaigns aimed at raising awareness for traffic safety laws do make a difference. In 2004, Kentucky began participation in the Innovative Seat Belt Demonstration Program supported through funds from the NHTSA, along with Mississippi, North Dakota and Wyoming.

Kentucky has a stated goal of raising seat belt usage among all residents. At the start of the program, Kentucky had a seat belt usage rate of just 66% and was the second-lowest rate in the Southeast. During the program, which ran from September 2004 to September 2007, Kentucky enacted a primary offense seatbelt law and increased statewide seat belt usage rate to 76.2% by the end of the campaign.

Effective July 12, 2006, Kentucky’s primary offense seat belt law requires the driver and all passengers to wear a properly adjusted and fastened seat belt. Law enforcement officers can stop a driver solely for an occupant restraint violation. Prior to this date, Kentucky’s seat belt law was a secondary offense.

The NHTSA found that when safety belts saved 12,713 lives in 2009. The NHTSA further estimated that if all passengers over the age of five involved in fatal crashes had been restrained, an additional 3,688 lives could have been spared.

Kentucky participates in the national “Click It or Ticket” safety campaign, which includes several focused efforts throughout the year to encourage seat belt use. With Kentucky’s continuous public awareness campaigns, the state currently boasts a seat belt usage of 80 percent, which equals the national average.

Unfortunately, the state’s statistics show that over half of the 791 motor vehicle occupants killed on Kentucky highways in 2010 were not wearing a seat belt. According to a report by the Murray Ledger & Times, through May of this year, close to 60 percent of the motorists that died on Kentucky highways were not restrained.

Our Kentucky car accident lawyers cannot stress enough the importance of wearing a safety belt when riding in a vehicle. The education begins with adults and parents by demonstrating safe driving behaviors to teens. Remember to buckle up anytime you get in a vehicle in Kentucky.