Buckle Up Montana Coalition
Buckle Up Montana is a program of the Montana Department of Transportation.
The Buckle Up Montana Missoula Coalition is one of four coalitions in the state of Montana.
The mission of the Buckle Up Montana Missoula Coalition is to save lives on Montana roadways by working to increase the proper use of seatbelts and child passenger seats.
The benefits of wearing a seat belt, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Association (NHTSA), help reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45% and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50%. For light-truck occupants, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60% and moderate-to-critical injury by 65%.
Does Missoula Buckle Up?
Missoula Seatbelt Survey Data
3 out of 4 car seats aren't used correctly.
NHTSA estimates that correctly used child restraints are even more effective than seat belts in reducing fatalities. Child restraints reduce fatalities by 71% for infants younger than 1-year-old and by 54% for children 1 to 4 years old in passenger cars. In light trucks, the fatality reductions are 58% for infants and 59% for children 1 to 4 years old. Also, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) CPS Fact Sheet reports belt-positioning booster seats reduce the risk of injury of 4 to 8-year-old children in crashes by 45% when compared to the effectiveness of seat belts alone.
For more information directly related to Child Safety Seats, please visit our dedicated Child Passenger Safety Page
Ever play with a Car Crash Calculator?
Room To Live & Respect-A-Cage Exhibit
This is the tragic story about Jeremy Lugibihl's choice to remove his seatbelt and ride in a vehicle with drunk driver. the profound impact that choice has had on his family, his friends, and our community. The car that Jeremy was riding in is the vehicle displayed in our Respect-A-Cage Exhibit.
The Respect-A-Cage exhibit is often displayed at events around the Missoula area to demonstrate that Jeremy had "Room to Live" inside the vehicle if he had been wearing his seatbelt. Instead, Jeremy was ejected from the vehicle. The driver of the vehicle was wearing his seatbelt and had "Room to Live" inside the vehicle during the crash.
Please wear your seatbelt and always choose to drive sober.
