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Overview
Occupant protection includes the use of any protective device, such as a seat belt, child safety seat, or booster seat, which prevents death and/or injury in motor vehicle crashes. Seat belt usage reduces the risk of a fatal injury to front seat passengers by an estimated 45 percent. The simplest thing – it takes less than 2 seconds to buckle up – can prevent so many tragedies on Kentucky highways.

In 2018, 10.01 percent of Kentucky drivers were not wearing seat belts when in their vehicles. Yet a full 46 percent of vehicle occupants killed on Kentucky roadways were not wearing seat belts.

Opportunities
Kentucky has made significant progress in its effort to increase seat belt usage. Between 2006, the year Kentucky enacted a primary seat belt law, and 2018, the observed seat belt usage rate rose from 67 percent to nearly 90 percent. Opportunities remain to continue this upward trend, including:

• Developing high visibility media and enforcement campaigns centered on “Click It or Ticket.”
• Working with local agencies to perform and promote child safety seat checkups.
• Promoting traffic safety education through programs and outreach at schools, clinics, and community events.

Occupant Protection Goal & Objective Chart

Kentucky has identified Impaired Driving as an emphasis area due to the severity of the problem and opportunity for improvement. A goal of this SHSP is to identify and implement strategies that prevent future impaired drivingrelated fatalities and serious injuries.
To measure progress toward this goal, an objective has been set to prevent future impaired driving-related fatalities such that the annual total will fall at or below 98 by December 31, 2024.


Occupant Protection: Overlap with other areas (%Fatalities+ Serious Injuries 2014-2018) FusionChartsXT will load here	Average Seatbelt Usage: 2013-2017 for KY & Bordering States FusionChartsXT will load here

Occupant Protection:
Fatal & Serious Injury Crashes
(2014-2018)
by Age & Gender

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Occupant Protection: Fatalities & Serious Injuries
by Crash Type

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Male drivers & passengers
67%
comprised of Occupant Protection involved fatalities & serious injuries.

76%

of Occupant Protection fatalities
& serious injuries occurred in crashes where Roadway Departure
was also a factor.

Kentucky Transportation Cabinet
Office of Highway Safety
200 Mero Street, Frankfort, KY 40622