It doesn’t matter what shape you are in or what type of body you have – safety looks good on everyone. The hottest safety-fashion accessory any season is your seat belt. It doesn’t matter if you are a dad coming home to your kids or a young adult returning to your dog, seat belts can make a big difference in assuring you return at the end of each day to those that you love the most.

Did you know there is a right and a wrong way to wear a seat belt? Follow these tips to make sure you get the biggest benefits from your belt.

  1. Make sure your shoulder belt hits you between your shoulder and your neck. Many vehicles have the ability to adjust the height of your shoulder belt for a better fit depending on your size.
  2. Wear your shoulder belt across your chest, never tuck it behind your back or under your arm.
  3. Wear your lap belt across the hips and upper thighs, under you stomach.
  4. Make sure your knees are bent at the edge of your seat.

Proper seat belt usage is really pretty simple. But sometimes a visual helps https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnzEP9h75FE&t.  

In 2024 in Iowa, 119 people have been killed in traffic crashes. That’s an increase of 8 since last Friday. In Iowa in 2023, there were 377 traffic-related deaths. To see statistics published daily by the Office of Driver Services, go to the daily fatality report at https://www.iowadot.gov/mvd/stats/daily.pdf