Being involved in an accident, whether in a rural or urban place like San Diego, always has the potential for severe injuries. That’s why one reason why you should buckle up anytime you’re in a car. It turns out that rural Americans have a false sense of security about seatbelts, which means they are less likely to wear them.

The Centers for Disease Control has released new information that people living in rural areas are less likely to wear seatbelts. Because rural Americans are less likely to buckle up when they get in the car, they are more likely to sustain fatal injuries in an accident. These results come about in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Rural Health Series, identifying that passengers and drivers in rural counties had fatality rates up to 10 times higher than adults living in urban counties. One of the primary reasons for this was that people living in rural areas are less likely to wear a seatbelt.

Higher death rates and a higher proportion of passengers and drivers not wearing seatbelts at the time of a fatal crash and overall decreased seatbelt use all contributed to the higher chance of an accident. As areas become more rural across the United States, the fatality rates in 2014 for passengers and adult drivers both increased. According to the CDC director, seatbelts save lives but many people in rural areas may assume that they are at a lower risk for an accident and choose not to buckle up. Everyone inside the car should always have a seatbelt on or be strapped into a car seat in order to promote overall safety. Failing to adhere to these guidelines could lead to catastrophic injuries and accidents.