Seat Belts: They Aren’t Just Stylish... Tuesday, February 07, 2012 By Junior Adam Ussher In a rollover crash, seat belts can be the difference between life and death. - Adam Ussher Advertising They save lives. In a car accident, seat belts are supposed to keep occupants from being ejected from the vehicle and/or being injured more severely. In many cases, a seat belt is the difference between life and death. Seat belts are in vehicles for a reason. American Family Insurance Agent Karen Chaney said, “Seat belts are designed to help hold occupants into place. When a person has an accident, statistics and data show when the vehicle stops moving, their body continues to move in the vehicle. So if someone is not wearing a seat belt, they are displaced all over the vehicle.” According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it is estimated that safety belts saved more than 72,000 lives during the 5-year period from 2005 through 2009. Many people have strong views on seat belts. “I’ve had a couple experiences in my life that have affected my view on seat belts. When I was a kid, I witnessed a car accident and saw a person get thrown through the windshield and die. That memory has always stuck with me,” said CHS Language Arts Teacher James Calvert. “There is nothing that can convince me that the seat belt is not the life-saving device of the century,” Mr. Calvert added. According to the NHTSA, 57 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2009 weren’t using seat belts. There are many reasons why people don’t wear seat belts. “A nationwide telephone survey provided for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says common reasons for not wearing a seat belt include: forgetfulness, discomfort, inconvenience and the perception of low risk-- in other words: ‘I’m just running a couple of blocks,’ or ‘I’m just going down the street, nothing is going to happen,” said Chaney. “Statistics show another common reason is pressure from others in the vehicle, because it’s ‘not cool’ or ‘unnecessary,’” added Chaney. Young males are most likely to not wear their seat belt according to the NHTSA. Being in a car accident can make the importance of seat belts crystal clear. Freshman Kayla Sloan said, “When I was little, I was in an accident. It was a huge shock, but fortunately everyone was wearing their seat belt. Thanks to seat belts, there were no serious injuries.” Not only can not wearing a seat cause serious injury, it can also affect insurance. “From an insurance standpoint, not having a seat belt on can increase the risk of injury, which in turn can increase the claim, affecting the premiums. Not wearing a seat belt can also be considered a contributing factor to the accident,” said Chaney. There are some people who dispute the effectiveness of seat belts. Mr. Calvert said, “I always have one or two students that will say, ‘This person died because their car caught on fire and they couldn’t get out because of the seat belt.’ My response is always: considering you can die wearing your seat belt and you can die without wearing your seat belt, it becomes a game of numbers. So many more people die from not having a seat belt on compared to those who die from having one on.” Compared to occupants who are not ejected from vehicles, occupants who are ejected in non-rollover crashes are nearly twice as likely to die, and those who are ejected in rollover crashes are four times more likely to die according to the NHTSA. Seat belt usage is a habit that needs to start early. “For kids, wearing a seat belt can start them off with a positive attitude and a positive statement, saying ‘I’m going to wear my seat belt; I’m going to be responsible.’ That mindset can then encourage other safe driving habits. There are so many opportunities for accidents, and wearing a seat belt increases the chances of being able to walk away from an accident. By not wearing a seat belt, a teenager can lose their hopes and dreams,” said Chaney. According to the NHTSA, seat belt use has shown a 45% reduction in the risk of a fatal injury to people in front seats of cars. Also, the risk of moderate to critical injury is reduced by half. Moral of the story: wear your seat belt.

Back to the articles list