"Saved by the Belt," an annual program held by the Illinois Department of Transportation, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Committee, the Illinois State Police and other municipal police agencies honors those who have survived auto accidents that might have otherwise killed them. The reason: they were wearing their seatbelts.

While virtually everyone who drives or rides regularly in a motorized vehicle knows that wearing a seatbelt will lessen the chances they are injured or killed, thousands of people do not heed this advice every year and wind up as a statistic. Perhaps it is precisely because of this sad aspect of the American roadway that Illinois thinks an award of a certificate and a medallion is warranted for those who wear a seatbelt when a collision occurs.

According to authorities in Naperville, Illinois, more people are killed and injured every year due to traffic accidents than any other reason combined. However, the Naperville Police Department has been aggressively going after those who are not wearing seatbelts, and there has already been a 14 percent decrease in deaths and injuries this year as a result of their enforcement. The city is also above the national average in citizens who wear seatbelts at 91 percent. The national average is around 81 percent. This seems high, but is not nearly high enough to save drivers and passengers on the nation's roadways.

If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, please contact an experienced personal injury attorney in your area.