Traffic Safety Facts: Occupant Protection 2008

Abstract

In 2008, 48,499 passenger vehicle occupants were injured or killed in Indiana traffic collisions, 87 percent of whom were wearing proper safety restraints. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) identifies safety belt use as the most effective practice a person can employ to prevent deaths and injuries resulting from traffic collisions. This fact sheet summarizes occupant protection data trends, legislation, and public awareness efforts at the national, state, and county levels with a particular emphasis on restraint use and injuries resulting from passenger vehicle collisions between 2004 and 2008. Indiana data were extracted from the Indiana State Police Automated Reporting Information Exchange System (ARIES), as of March 1, 2009.