According to available statistics, the use of seat belts saves lives and therefore, vehicle drivers and passengers should be required by law to wear seat belts.

             On April 19, 2005, George F. Krchoff, president of the Automotive Occupant Restraints Council, stated before a Senate committee that proposed legislation would act as an incentive for the use of seat belts by drivers and passengers (AORC pp). Since 1996, the seat belt use nationally has risen from sixty percent to over eighty percent today, and government statistics report that approximately 330,000 lives have been saved by vehicle safety technology since 1960, with seat belts accounting for more than half of all lives saved (AORC pp). .

             Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among individuals forty-four years and younger, and is the number one cause of head and spinal cord injury (Safety pp). This year, one out of every five drivers will be involved in a traffic crash, and approximately 35,000 will die in these crashes, half of which could be saved by the use of their safety belts (Safety pp). .

             Although more than ninety percent of all motorists believe that seat belts are a good idea, less than fourteen percent actually use them, yet, when reminded, nine out of ten people buckle up when asked (Safety pp). In countries that have passed mandatory seat belt laws, usage rate went from twenty percent before passage to almost ninety percent after passage (Safety pp). Therefore, mandatory seat belt legislation should be passed.