ST. GEORGE — According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death in the United States, and not wearing a seat belt remains a leading risk factor for death and serious injury in Utah. Over one-third of passenger vehicle occupants killed are unrestrained, and seat belt use is generally lower in rural areas than in urban areas.
To address this issue, the Utah Department of Public Safety has partnered with nine rural Utah counties to increase seat belt use with the Together for Life Project. The multiyear Together for Life project initially focused on three rural Utah counties – Box Elder, San Juan, and Sanpete – but has since expanded to include Cache, Carbon, Iron, Sevier, Uintah and Tooele counties.
Together for Life began in 2013 when the Utah Highway Safety Office focused efforts to reduce significant disparities in seat belt use rates between Utah’s urban areas where rates were at about 85%, and rural area rates as low as 55%. Since then, seat belt use increased by an average of 20% in the nine focus counties compared to 7% in urban counties.
Additionally, the numbers of unrestrained fatalities and serious injuries in these counties were also lower. Statewide, 61 fatalities were unrestrained in 2020. As of 2021, the statewide seat belt use rate has climbed to 88%.
The Together for Life Project is designed to confront the seriousness of not wearing a seat belt and build hope that communities can work together to reduce risk and create positive change. The project promotes and builds on positive themes and aims to correct negative misperceptions.
According to surveys conducted by the Center for Health and Safety Culture at Montana State University, many people believe it is important to always wear a seat belt, and many people want those they care about to always wear a seat belt.
The Utah Department of Public Safety wants to promote this common, healthy behavior – known as a “positive norm” – in order to produce a cultural shift in which people are more likely to wear their seat belts. This positive oriented approach will engage a variety of stakeholders, including adults, law enforcement, workplaces, key leaders and schools/students.
To learn more, visit the Together For Life Project website.
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