LAKE COUNTY — For some, buckling up in the car is second nature. For others it’s a choice based on convenience or the idea that seat belts are dangerous. This couldn’t be further from the truth.

You are 25 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle if you are not wearing a seat belt. Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior. Preliminary reports in Montana for 2011 show that of the 172 vehicle occupant deaths, 127, or almost 74 percent were not wearing seat belts. In December alone, of the 18 who died in crashes, 17 were not wearing a seat belt.

Society, individual crash victims and their families, friends and employers are affected by motor vehicle crashes in many ways. For example, the cost of medical care is incurred by the individual in the form of payments for insurance, deductibles and uncovered costs. Society incurs the higher insurance premiums, uninsured expense, and through the diversion of medical resources away from other medical needs, such as medical research, disease prevention and control, and basic public health needs. In Montana alone it is estimated $42.9 million dollars is spent for direct impatient health care cost for crash victims.

Caring for an injured family member can be very demanding for all parties concerned. It can change the very nature of their family life; the emotional difficulties of the victim can affect other family members and the cohesiveness of the family unit. Each critically injured survivor costs an average of $1.1 million dollars a year. When a crash leads to death, the emotional damage is even more intense, affecting family and friends for years afterward and sometimes leading to the breakup of previously stable families.

Wearing a seat belt is still the single most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on America’s roadways. Seat belts are the most effective safety devices in vehicles today, estimated to save 9,500 lives each year. It only takes a couple of seconds to put a seat belt on and protect yourself and the ones you love.