Oklahoma Department of Transportation
By Tim Gatz, Secretary of Transportation
February 14, 2022
As a high schooler, I remember the Oklahoma Highway Patrol coming into my driver’s education class and putting up a very graphic presentation of a car crash. That presentation stuck with me through the years, especially throughout my 31-year career in transportation. Oklahoma Transportation engineers and field crews constantly are looking for ways to make highway safety improvements to better protect motorists. However, one of the simplest ways to potentially save a life is the one often ignored by Oklahoma motorists, leading to the state ranking No. 43 nationally in seat belt usage. Oklahoma ranks lower than all surrounding states except Arkansas, which ranks No. 45. In comparison, Texas is at No. 20 nationally for seat belt usage. We want motorists to know there is more at stake from not wearing a seat belt than just a citation by local law enforcement. Vehicles today make most motorists feel as if they’re in a comfortable cocoon. And competition for driver attention — which results in distracted driving — is reaching unprecedented levels. Beneficial driver assistance technologies are advancing and will one day begin to make a measurable safety difference. But no matter how car technology changes, the law of inertia remains the same and highway fatalities are on the rise nationally and in Oklahoma. Give yourself a chance at surviving a highway mishap by buckling up.
View the full article: Oklahoma.gov
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