Jennifer Queally

Since 2016, Massachusetts has ranked 48th out of 50 states in seat belt usage, with more than one quarter of our drivers on the road unbelted. In other states, putting on a seat belt is automatic when getting into a car. In states such as California, Georgia, and Oregon, people buckle up over 95 percent of the time.

In Massachusetts, seat belt use is especially low among men, and this is a major issue when looking at the correlation between seat belt usage and crash fatalities. It is a fact that seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by almost 50 percent. Some of the highest crash fatality rates in the state are coming out of Brockton, Cape Cod, Fall River, Lowell, Springfield and Worcester.

But there is hope in our battle to prevent these tragic and unnecessary deaths, and we need to utilize every weapon we can. Our best secret weapon may be mothers. Focus groups commissioned by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security Office of Grants and Research indicate that mothers have the greatest influence over young men and their behaviors behind the wheel. Young men listen to their mothers, even if they don’t always show it. So we are taking advantage of that positive influence to launch our seat belt awareness campaign “Love Your Mom – Buckle Up.” This month, as part of the initiative, Massachusetts State Police will join 158 local law enforcement agencies targeting seat belt use. The focus will be primarily on locations with a high incidence of crashes, injuries, and fatalities.

Mothers instinctively want to protect their children, regardless of how old they are. For me, asking my children to wear a seat belt so that they have a better chance of surviving a crash is not only an expression of love, but it can be the difference between life and death.

To all the moms out there, please use your influence and ask your sons and everyone in your family to buckle up. To all the sons out there, the best gift that you can give your mother on Mother’s Day is to buckle up! (But don’t forget the card and flowers, too.)

Jennifer Queally

Undersecretary, Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security