Texas Seatbelt Safety

Texas Seatbelt Safety While Driving

Safety belts in Texas save lives no matter where you're sitting in a car and not wearing a seat belt can end a life whether it's yours or someone else's no matter where any of you are sitting in a vehicle. If you're in the front seat during a crash, wearing a safety belt improves your chance of survival by 50 percent. Wearing lap and shoulder belts (combined with air bags) is the most effective way to reduce fatalities and serious injuries in traffic collisions.

Texas Safety belts are only most effective when used properly.  Lap belts should fit snugly across the hips, not over the stomach.  Shoulder belts go over the shoulder and across the center of the chest.  Never tuck a shoulder belt under your arm or behind your back.  That's extremely comfortable until you collide with something that causes your face to collide with the dashboard.  There's nothing comfortable about that.

Texas law now requires drivers and all passengers in vehicles to be secured by a safety belt.  Any child under the age of 12 must instead be restrained in an approved child passenger safety seat unless they are at least 4'9” in height.  Safety belts are designed for adults, not children. Use of a booster seat lifts your child up and prevents severe injuries in a crash.