Each year, millions of Americans are rushed to emergency rooms to receive treatment for often-serious injuries that could have been prevented. Simply buckling a seat belt, strapping on a bicycle helmet or ensuring that children use proper athletic equipment could prevent thousands of accidental deaths and injuries annually. And taking these steps would save billions of dollars in health care costs.

The failure of crash victims to wear seat belts leads to an estimated 9,200 unnecessary deaths and 143,000 needless injuries, resulting in $26 billion in health care costs each year. (Source: National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, Economic Impact of U.S. Motor Vehicle Crashes, 2002) Similarly, wearing bicycle helmets minimizes 80 to 85 percent of head injuries. Since only 20 to 25 percent of all cyclist wear helmets, a great opportunity exists to reduce the more than 700 deaths, 20,000 injuries and $8 billion in costs caused by cycling injuries annually. (Source: National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, Bicycle Helmet Use Laws, January 2006)

By simply buckling seat belts, wearing bicycle helmets and using other safety equipment -- and making sure our children do, too -- we can save billions of dollars in unnecessary medical expenses and help keep health care affordable.