The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) and Uber recently partnered to bring awareness and education on the dangers of not using seatbelts.
The partnership, “Make it Click: Every seat. Every ride”, is timed to coincide with the National Highway Traffic Administration’s (NHTSA) “Click It or Ticket” enforcement period.
In 2016, more than 900 unrestrained rear seat occupants eight-years-old and older died in motor vehicle crashes, according to the NHTSA. More than 450 of these deaths would have been prevented had the passenger used a seatbelt.
“Studies have shown that adults who admit to not buckling up in the back seat, also overwhelmingly admit to not buckling during short trips,” Nadia Anderson, Uber’s global head of road safety policy, said. “People have a false sense of security that the back seat is safer, and we plan to harness the power of technology to help change those behaviors. Our partnership with the GHSA is a first step.”
Increasing the use of seatbelts, especially for backseat passengers, is a challenge, Jonathan Adkins, GHSA executive director, said. The Make it Click campaign is a rare opportunity to reach millions of people with the critical safety message that seatbelts are essential no matter the seat or vehicle, he said.