It seems like a small action: reaching over your shoulder to pull the seat belt over your body. But seat belts have saved more lives than as many short moments it takes for someone to buckle up. For such a simple but significant action, people forget–or simply don’t want to–wear seat belts. Teenagers and young adults are no exception. In fact, they may even be more at fault in the non-seatbelt-wearing department than other groups.

Seat belts reduce serious car crash injuries and deaths by about 50%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The American Automobile Association says with 45 to 60 percent effectiveness, seat belts are the single most effective means of reducing the risk of death in a crash. But even with general knowledge of the enormous protection seat belts offer, many teenagers still choose to leave it off, despite facing fines, injuries, and death.

But why? What is it about wearing seat belts that leads teens against them?

“I think number one is their friends, peer pressure,” Coach Schreiter, the Driver’s Ed teacher at Highland said. “They’re in a car, it’s not cool to wear their seat belt, they’re in a hurry, they’re trying to get somewhere, and they’re just not thinking about the big picture.”

But this doesn’t mean teens don’t realize the importance of seat belts.

They understand. They realize. But something stops them. Friends and peer pressure surely plays a role in this, but there’s more to the story. Teens themselves understand some of the reasons behind their lack of seatbelt use.

“You have to wear it,” said Louisa Peterson, a Senior at Highland. “It’s the most important thing.”

However, she admits, as many teens do, that she doesn’t always buckle up.

“I want to move around, I want to talk to my friends,” Peterson said.

It seems friends play a role in whether or not a student chooses to wear their seat belt in the car. Other students commented on this:

“They think it’s not cool, they want to show off in front of their friends,” Freshman Lino Lotubai said.

Several other students used the common phrase “not cool.” It would appear that it just isn’t popular among teenagers to stay safe when diving. But what else is there that could be the cause? It’s not just friends who influence a teen’s driving habits.

“Parents are a big part of it. Their example is important,” Schreiter said. “If a parent doesn’t wear their seat belt, why would a student wear a seat belt? The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

Dosomething.org says teens with involved parents are twice as likely to wear seat belts. There is clear influence on a teen’s choice of whether or not to buckle up based on the other passengers in the car, or lack thereof. Parents and friends alike add something to the mix.

Another common theme throughout the various reasons for not buckling is laziness, or not having enough time.

“They’re lazy, and they don’t think that they’ll be the one that ends up getting in a car accident,” Junior Lily Olsen said.

“They’re just not thinking when they’re driving, they’re too busy,” Sophomore Ethan Beane said.

“Teens are lazy bums,” Freshman Mary Ward said, comically.

Other replies as to why teenagers forget or choose not to wear seat belts varied. Junior Alex Palmer said it is due to the fact that teens hate listening to adults, while Freshman Maggie Graeff said it’s because they think short distances don’t require a seat belt in order to be safe.

There are many reasons as to why the seat belt stays off for so many teenagers. That being true, they still know the risk.

“If you get in a car accident, there’s more of a chance of you flying out the window or getting more hurt without wearing a seat belt,” Freshman Viana Godoy stated.

“If you go flying out of the car, you’re gonna die, like, guaranteed,” Palmer said.

“If you’re not wearing a seatbelt, your head could easily go through the dashboard,” Peterson said.

“[A seatbelt] saves lives and prevents major injuries,” said Ward.

We know the risk. We understand the consequences. We’ve heard the stories of the injuries that are a result of leaving the seat belt off. We may even know someone personally who’s been effected by it. But still, we just don’t put it on sometimes.

To every problem, there is a solution–and this certainly is a predicament among teenagers. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among teens, but the use of a seat belt reduces the chance of serious crash-related injuries and deaths by nearly 50%. Getting this message across to teenagers should be a priority to parents, teachers, and even friends. While it’s clear teens understand what could happen, it might take more rigorous action to truly get through.

“We talk about it almost every day in [Driver’s Ed],”  Schreiter said. “Last year, we had 256 fatalities in Utah. 72 of them were seatbelt related. Or, lack of.”

In addition to using education as a tool to help teens buckle up, we need to take action in our homes–utilizing parental influence would be huge, as is the example parents have on their impressionable teens. We all can lead by example. Click it, no matter how short the drive. 

Studies have revealed that teens who smoke will often try to coax their friends into taking up the habit, possibly to find someone to relate to or share their smoking habit with. The same thing happens in all areas of a teen’s life–friends have the strongest influence, over parents, teachers, and siblings. Peers are truly the most influential to one another. It’s our job to take care of our friends and fellow students. Be the friend who’s looking out for everyone else. You never know when it could be you and your friends in the car that gets crashed.