Rhode Island’s Traffic Safety leaders today held a news conference ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday to deliver a clear message to Rhode Island motorists: “buckle up.”
“We are here today to remind all Rhode Islanders that the single most important thing they can do is to buckle up before heading out on the roads,” said Colonel Darnell S. Weaver, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police and Director of the Department of Public Safety in a statement. “Not only is it the safe thing to do, but it’s also the law.”
As of today, there have been 67 traffic-related fatalities in Rhode Island, compared to 45 on this date in 2022, according to the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association. Of the 67 traffic-related fatalities in 2023, 41 were occupants of motor vehicles and 58% were not wearing a seat belt. In the U.S. in 2021, 26,325 passenger vehicle occupants were killed. About 50% of those killed were not buckled.
“Wearing a seat belt can improve your chances of surviving a crash by as much as 50 percent. It’s such a simple, easy, action we can all take to protect ourselves,” Director Alviti said in a statement. “This year and every year we implore people to make safe driving their highest priority. It is far more important to get your family to Thanksgiving dinner, and make it home safely, than texting, speeding or having an extra drink before you hit the road.”
The Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association says the reasons to wear a seat belt;
- Buckling up helps keep you inside your vehicle. Being ejected from the vehicle in a crash is almost always deadly.
- Airbags are not enough to protect you; in fact, the force of an airbag can seriously injure or even kill you if you’re not buckled up.
- Improperly wearing a seat belt, such as putting the strap below your arm, puts you at risk.
“As police officers, we are disturbed by the uptick in Rhode Island traffic fatalities and it is especially heartbreaking to have a death in your community that could have been prevented with a seat belt,” said Colonel Bradford Connor, Warwick Chief of Police and Vice President of the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association in a statement. “During the holidays we will have extra patrols out to identify impaired drivers, speeders and distracted drivers and we will also be reminding everyone to buckle up.”
