“Every Belt - Every Ride,” a new campaign launched this week by OSHA in partnership with the Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), encourages all federal employees to wear seat belts in all stations of moving motor vehicles.

The initiative, announced at the National Safety Council in New Orleans, is not just for vehicle drivers but passengers, too. It emphasizes the importance of wearing a seat belt no matter which seat you are in when traveling on public business in government vehicles, private automobiles, taxis or any other moving motor vehicle.

"Half the federal workers who died on the job from 1992 to 2001 lost their lives in transportation incidents," said OSHA Administrator John L. Henshaw. "We know that the single best proven way to bring traffic deaths and serious injuries down is to increase the use of seat belts in all stations of a vehicle."

In highway traffic crashes, wearing a seat belt can reduce the risk of death by 45 percent to 60 percent, according to NHTSA. "Every Belt - Every Ride" is designed to make federal employees aware of the life-saving value of seat belts and remind them that Executive Order 13043 requires them to wear seat belts in all seats — front and back — whenever they travel in motor vehicles.

"Every Belt - Every Ride" promotional materials include decals to encourage federal employees to buckle up; small posters federal agencies can download, print and post on employee bulletin boards; expanded information on OSHA's Motor Vehicle Safety Web page; and follow-up messages for agency employee communications.