Do you buckle up every time you get in the car - whether it's the front seat or the back seat? As of right now, in New York State, only those under the age of 16 are required to buckle up in the backseat. Governor Andrew Cuomo is proposing a budget resolution that would required adults of all ages to buckle up in the back, and AAA New York State (including AAA Western and Central New York) fully supports it.

In fact, AAA New York State conduced a survey and found that more than 68 percent of New York drivers support a mandatory seat belt law for adults in the backseat (44 percent strongly), while only 15 percent of drivers opposed the provision. 

It's another law on the books, but it's one that may save your life. AAA reviewed injury crashes in New York in 2015, the last year of finalized DMV data. Thirty unbelted rear seat occupants ages 16+ were killed and 2,229 were injured, 241 seriously. That's in just one year - and just in New York State. 

Many don't know that rear seat occupants who fail to buckle up are:

• 3x more likely to be killed
• 8x more likely to be seriously injured
• 2x more likely to kill a front seat occupant by becoming a projectile

Make a habit out of buckling up wherever you're sitting in the car. It doesn't matter if you're just going around the corner. Without a seat belt, one quick slam on the brakes from someone failing to stop at a stop sign could result in injury or even death. It takes just a few seconds - for your sake and the sake of everyone else in the car and on the road, please buckle your seat belt.