Statistics from crashes on Wyoming’s highways are showing that lack of seat belt use has been a big factor in fatal crashes for the first half of 2016.
According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Wyoming experienced 39 fatal crashes resulting in 42 fatalities in the first six months of 2016. Out of these, 18 fatalities were from single vehicle rollover crashes, 11 were multivehicle crashes, seven were from motorcycle crashes, three were with a fixed object, two involved pedestrians and one involved an ATV.
Thirty of these crashes involved a vehicle equipped with restraint options, and 23 of those 30 crashes involved a fatality not using a restraint when a restraint was an option.
Alcohol is also playing a factor in 2016 fatal crashes with nine fatalities being alcohol related deaths.
In addition, 29 of the 42 deaths through the end of June were Wyoming residents.
The Wyoming Highway Patrol is reminding people that seat belts save lives. Through the first six months of 2016, 676 rollover crashes have been investigated in Wyoming involving 878 restrained occupants that did not result in a fatality.
“If something is predictable, it is preventable. If you wear your seat belt and place your children in child seats, you are preventing the chances of sustaining injury or death if involved in a crash,” Wyoming Highway Patrol said in a release.
So far, Wyoming is experiencing fewer fatalities in 2016 when in comparison with 2015. The 42 fatalities through June is a significant reduction when compared to the 66 fatalities through June of 2015.