August - Don't Be a Victim of Job Vehicle Death

Don't Be a Victim of Job Vehicle Death

August, 2005

We wear belts to keep our pants up. Why shouldn't we wear seatbelts in order to save our lives?

Job vehicle deaths in the USA aren't a fly-by-night situation! It's real. John Howard, Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) stated that, in our general population, nearly 12,000 lives were saved in the year 2000 by using seatbelts. Also wearing seatbelts could have prevented another 9,000 fatalities.

Mr. Howard states further that a mandatory seatbelt use policy is the single most important road safety policy an employer can implement and enforce.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that in the year 2000, seatbelts prevented 325,000 moderate to severe injuries and could have prevented more if more seatbelts had been used.

The cost calculated by these various associations is just over $1 billion a year that individuals and companies spend on health costs and other related expenses.

For every employee involved in a workplace crash, the direct cost to the employer averaged $27,750.00 for workers who were not wearing seatbelts. The expense to employers for workers that were wearing seatbelts was $11, 310.00

The NIOSH is recommending that companies, who provide automobiles for their employees, also make it mandatory that seatbelts are in all vehicles and must be worn. Mr. Howard stated further that seatbelt laws aren't an acceptable substitute for a company seatbelt policy, because all states do not have the law as of yet.

According to NIOSH findings, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of work-related deaths in the US. Based on the statistics from these various associations that we have reviewed, it is a "no-brainer" that we should promote the use of seatbelts to our families, friends and fellow workers. I know that seatbelt usage is still taken lightly in many areas, but this is like all other aspects of safety, it is everyone's responsibility to promote the use of seatbelts. This is another trait to "preach" in defensive driving.

Remove the Doubt - Don't Be Left Out!

Excerpts: Safety Smart, Sept. 21, 2004

Ted Gordon is the Risk Management/Loss Control Manager for the Mississippi State University Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station. His office is located in the North Mississippi Research and Extension Center, in Verona, MS. His telephone number is 662-566-2201.