RALEIGH – Buckling up saved Muriel Walker’s life.

One day last year, she was headed home from her job in Rocky Mount. She got on Highway 43 and crossed over Interstate 95 when a car came shooting off the southbound exit ramp.

She couldn’t stop her Chevy Cruz in time, and t-boned the other car. Her car was destroyed. But thankfully, she was not hurt.

“If I had not been wearing my seatbelt, this wreck would have had a totally different outcome,” Walker said. 

Walker is being honored as the October recipient of the “Saved By the Belt” certificate for sharing her story with others.

“We hope that by highlighting instances where real North Carolinians’ lives were impacted by the decision to buckle their seatbelt, we can inspire others to make this a part of their routine every time they get behind the wheel,” said Mark Ezzell, director of North Carolina’s Governor’s Highway Safety Program. 

In 2020, 865 North Carolinians not wearing a seatbelt were killed in crashes. October is the deadliest month on North Carolina roads. The leading contributor to those deaths is not wearing a seat belt, Ezzell said. Buckling up can be one of the simplest ways to reduce the risk of serious injury or death in car crashes. 

“I am amazed and also thankful that the simplest habit like buckling up played such a huge part of me being here today so I can see my grandchildren grow up,” Walker said.

Share your “Saved by the Belt,” stories to raise awareness, and follow us @NCGHSP on Facebook and @NC_GHSP on Twitter and Instagram. For more information, visit www.ncghsp.org.

For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.