About 15 of the 31 people killed in traffic crashes this year in Rutherford County might be alive today if they wore their seat belts, a Sheriff's Office supervisor said.

Tennessee traffic statistics show 243 of the 565 people killed this year in Tennessee did not wear seat belts.

Cpl. Michael Rodgers said sheriff's deputies will join Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers Friday for the "All Hands on Deck" campaign to encourage drivers to wear their seat belts and save lives.

"The biggest misconception is that people think seat belts are for them and they are only partially right," Rodgers said. "Seat belts are for your family and friends who need you to come home every day. I think if more people thought this way, our roadways would be much safer."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports people who buckle up in the front seat of a passenger car can reduce the risk of death by 45 percent and reduce the extent of injury by 50 percent.

People who buckle up in a light truck can reduce their risk of death by 60 percent and reduce the extent of injury by 65 percent, NHTSA reported.

"Buckling up is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash," NHTSA reported.

"Seat belts are the best defense against impaired, aggressive, and distracted drivers," the administration reported. "Being buckled up during a crash helps keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle; being completely ejected from a vehicle is almost always deadly."