Report: People Less Likely To Wear Seat Belts In Back Seat Putting Themselves, Front Seat Passengers At Risk

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Seat belts can save lives, but a new report finds many people choose not to wear them when riding them in the back seat.

"People are less likely to buckle up when they'rein the rear seat," said Jessica Jermakian of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Jermakian co-authored a new report from the IIHS which found that while 91 percent of people always their seat belt in the front, only 72 percent use it in the back seat. That number drops to 57 percent when traveling in cabs and ride hailing services like Uber and Lyft.

CLICK HERE to read the complete IIHS report.

Video shows a family of three riding in the back seat of a cab being thrown around when their cab was struck by another car.

Another video shows the difference between two back seat passengers - one wearing a seat belt, the other not - in a car crash. The unbuckled passenger was thrown across the cab and slammed headfirst into a window.

Uber driver Dustin Goodsell told CBS' Chris Martinez that people often don't buckle up on short trips.

"I usually will say something like 'I notice you're not buckled. I think it would be a good idea to be buckled,'" Goodsell said.

Experts say traveling without a safety belt puts not only the back seat rider at risk, but also people in front.

An unbuckled person can slam into the driver during an accident.

"We know that drivers are twice as likely to be fatally injured when the passenger behind them is unrestrained," Jermakian said.

She wants more automakers to install the same seat belt reminders cars have in the front seat for people in the back as well.

Jermakian believes it could get more riders to buckle up and help prevent more injuries.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are among 29 states that have laws requiring people in the back seat to buckle up.

Forty-nine states have laws for front seat belts.