Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Releases Survey on Teen Driving

When most people get in the car the logical response is to start the engine and put on their safety belt; however many teens are not using that logic and are forgetting to buckle up, according to a study done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The group noted that almost half of 16- and 17-year-old drivers killed in crashes - roughly 2,500 teens - in 2007 were unbelted.

While 94 percent of teens involved in the study used safety belts already, the remaining teens buckled up when a monitoring devices continued to buzz or make other sounds. Similar results were found by the researchers in 2006 among drivers of all ages using belt reminders that chime or buzz.

IIHS says that the reminders are a necessary tool in reminding all drivers, not only teens, to buckle up. The noises encourage drivers to comply with safety belt laws and give an incentive since fastening a seat belt is a way to make the noise stop.