MONTPELIER—The recent rash of highway fatalities, most of whom have not been wearing seat belts, has spurred Lt. Governor Brian Dubie to urge Vermonters to buckle up in a commercial that will be airing over the next several weeks on all Vermont television stations.

“Six out of eight of our recent highway deaths have not been wearing belts. We know that some of these Vermonters would still be with us today if they had just buckled up. It’s heartbreaking that despite all our best efforts to educate our people about the importance of wearing a seatbelt, we continue to see these needless deaths. As one of Vermont’s state leaders, I feel compelled to take action and do what I can to stop people from dying on our roadways,” said Lt. Governor Dubie.

Lt. Governor Dubie is an airline pilot, and in the commercial he stresses the fact that the plane doesn’t move from the gate unless all passengers are wearing seat belts. The same holds true for his family vehicle, he notes.

The research is clear: about 50 percent of those who are unrestrained and killed in a car crash would otherwise survive if they had just buckled up. In Vermont, if everyone were buckled up, about 25 lives a year would be saved. Nationwide, about 12,000 deaths a year could be avoided by the simple act of wearing a seat belt, every trip, every time.

Lt. Governor Dubie’s message is being supported by the Governor's Highway Safety Program, which runs campaigns throughout the year aimed at increasing seat belt use in Vermont.

“These fatalities come on the heels of a banner year in highway safety in Vermont, which saw the fewest fatalities in modern times, our first fatality-free month in more than 50 years and four straight major holiday periods without a single highway death. Anything we can do to reduce the number of highway deaths, we will do,” said Jeanne Johnson, Coordinator of GHSP.

# # #