The law requiring drivers to wear seat belts celebrates its 30^th anniversary this month in the UK. Since then, seat belt use has increased dramatically and many lives have been saved.

Soon after the law went into effect in 1983, 90 percent of drivers and front-seat passengers were buckling up.  These high rates of seat belt use have been sustained since that time.

When wearing seat belts became compulsory for all rear-seat occupants in 1991, there was an immediate 30 percent increase in usage -- from 10 percent to 40 percent.

Seat belts HELP save lives - and there are statistics to back that claim. Take a single point in time - 2007.  According to the UK-based road safety campaign THINK!, if all vehicle occupants wore seat belts that year, up to 300 lives would have been saved.  That's nearly one life per day!

Other data is just as sobering. Drivers and passengers aged 17-34 have the lowest rates of seat belt usage - but also have the highest accident rate. And overall, occupants not wearing a seat belt are twice as likely to die in a crash.

So buckle up!