The Importance of Wearing a Seatbelt
We have all heard the excuses before, "It's uncomfortable, I'm only going around the corner", I'd rather be thrown out of a car than be stuck in a seatbelt," and my favorite, "I'm a good driver I don't need to wear one." Well you may be a good driver but there are situations beyond your control such as bad weather, road conditions and not to mention other drivers that can affect your safety. Seat belts can mean the difference between life and death in an auto accident. Wearing a seat belt every time you enter a vehicle is not only the smart thing to do it is the right thing because it saves lives, it's the law and it will save you money.
Car accidents are the leading cause of death for people
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For the people who use the excuse that "They are just going around the corner" should realize that 80% of traffic fatalities occur within a 25-mile radius of your home and at a speed of 40 miles an hour. Buckling up to drive around the block is probably the best time to do so. Everyone knows that car crashes can cause death; yet because people do not buckle up all the time thousands of people still die in traffic crashes yearly. Seatbelts can save your life in a crash and can reduce your risk of a serious injury. Seat belts keep drivers and passengers from being ejected through windows or doors. This is important because your chances of being killed are five times greater if you are thrown from the vehicle. Thousands of people who die in car crashes each year might still be alive today if they had only been wearing their seat belts.
Wearing a seat belt isn't just a good idea; it's the law and many states conduct heightened enforcement of their seat belt laws. Forty-nine states, all except New Hampshire have mandatory safety belt laws. In most states, these laws cover front seat occupants only, although belt laws in 16 jurisdictions including New York cover all rear seat occupants also. New York is one of 19 jurisdictions where belt use laws are standard, or primary, meaning police may stop vehicles solely for belt law violations. In 17 states including New York the safety belt defense is allowed, meaning damages collected by someone in a crash may be reduced
“The Fraud of Seat-Belt Laws” by William J. Holdorf is more focused on seat-belt laws than seat belts themselves. Holdorf discusses that the seat-belts laws are more concerned with generating money than actually protecting citizens (1). Holdorf writes, “Once seatbelt laws were passed in any form, supporters returned each legislative session to lobby for amendments, such as including all occupants, increasing fines, eliminating exemptions, and changing to primary enforcement, so that the police could stop a motorist merely under suspicion of not using a seat belt” (1). The argument here against seat belts, specifically the laws pertaining to them, is that police can pull anyone over with the intent to fine them for not wearing their seatbelt. Horford continues that seat belt laws are a “loss of freedom” and that the expenses to implement the law are putting a burden on society and “infringe a person’s rights as guaranteed in the Fourth, Fifth, and the Ninth Amendments” (2). The debt on society is an understandable argument but the idea of infringing on someone’s rights does not make sense, at least relating to this context. It does not make sense for someone to prefer a life of chronic pain from severe injuries or even death of themselves or a family member than simply a few bruises or even get away from a crash perfectly clean. How can someone not want to protect
The law should require people to wear seat belts because it prevents people from getting injured or killed in car accidents. Seat belts dramatically reduce the risk of death and serious injuries every day. 53% of the people who have died in car accidents were not wearing a seat belt. Many people that
Some commercial or owner operator truck drivers find seat belts either uncomfortable or inconvenient. It's easy to get into the habit of not using them because truck accidents may seem an unlikely occurrence to the driver who has never been in one.
According to NHTSA, 13,941 lives were saved by seat belts in 2015 while an additional 2,814 could have been saved if properly restrained (2017). One impact of seat belt usage is reducing the risk serious or fatal injuries by about half. The CDC reported in 2009, 53% of occupants killed in crashes in the U.S. were not wearing seat belts (2014). According to data collected in 2008 by NHTSA, seat belts have saved an estimated 225,000 lives (2009). The benefit of wearing a seat belt can help increase chances of surviving a crash with little or no
There are many reasons for why you should wear a seat belt. If you don’t wear a seatbelt then you will get a ticket for breaking the law that the government has made. When you get into an accident the seat belt helps keep you in your seat instead of flying out of the car when you get in a wreck. They don’t just make
Judge Oliver ruled that, sincethe belts contributed to public safety, they could not be considered unconstitutional.consequently, People think that wearing a seatbelt or not, it doesn’t change the numberof casualties from wrecks but let me tell you why that’s not true. Despite the best effortsof law enforcement and others to educate people about the importance and benefits ofwearing a seatbelt, many still do not.(Hurst). According to the Center for DiseaseControl wearing a seatbelt is the most efficient way to save lives and reduce injuries incar crashes. Considering car crashes are the leading cause of death among thosebetween the ages of 5 and 34, you could say wearing a seat belt is the most
Do you buckle up every time you go for a drive, no matter the distance? Do you ask your passengers to buckle up as well? Everyone should always wear a seat belt because they save lives every day.
Some people think it's safer not wearing a seatblet and some people even think it might kill you.http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety-regulatory-devices/can-seatbelts-kill-you.htm
In 2016, 3,773 people died in a motor vehicle traffic accident and of that 3,773, 43.71% were reported not wearing a seatbelt when the crash occurred. The “Click it or Ticket” slogan was made to encourage drivers to wear seatbelts, but it’s impossible to pull over every single person that isn’t wearing
Car seats lifts children up so that the lap and shoulder seat belt fits over the strongest part of the child’s body. A vehicle seat belt is shaped to shield an average adult sized male. These child safety seats (CSS) help protect our children when properly installed until the kids are big enough for the adult seat belt. Safety seats are made to keep our children safe yet improper use is the leading cause of injury and death for children under the age of eight. Inappropriate use placed the child at a higher risk, “for ejection from the vehicle, injury to the head, neck, abdomen, and spinal cord” (public health; crash
Hi Staci, Great Post describing the benefits of wearing seats belts. I agree with you that one lucky incident doesn’t mean that seat belts are not needed. I like the point you made about the person landing on the grass with reduced the impact and what if it was cement, would he have survived? In my discussion I have similar findings as you that proper research should be done before making conclusion. There are people that would avoid or not accept facts if they have personal experience that is contradictory. In my research I found National Standard Council (NSC) publish data that showed 100 people die every day in a car crash and more than 1000 people suffer life changing injuries. NCS reports that more than 90% of Americans wear seat
According to the CDC, a total of 22,441 passenger vehicle occupants died in motor vehicle traffic crashes and 2.5 million passengers were treated for injuries in 2015 (Motor Vehicle Safety np). More than half of the 22,441 occupants were unrestrained, or not held in place by a seat belt. People that do not wear a seat belt, are 30 times more effective being ejected from the vehicle at the time of the crash and 3 out of 4 people who are ejected during a fatal crash die from their injuries (Motor Vehicle Safety np). Ejection from a vehicle will not stop you from flying across the highway, because inertia and gravity will keep moving your body forward. What is the cause for us not wearing our seat belts? According to the NHTSA, people get in a hurry, distraction, or simply forgetting is the main cause for not wearing our seat
Seat belts although they are the most effective safety device on cars must be made safer. Out of all people who died in car accidents, 63% of those were not wearing seat belts (seatbelts). This goes to show you the effectiveness of seat belt. Therefore automotive manufactures must mandate the installation of 5-point seatbelt on all cars. In all major race car organization such as NASCAR (National Association Stock Car Automotive Racing) they require these 5-point seat belt. Which is nothing more than a seatbelt that is buckled in 5 spots rather that the conventional 3.
A seat belt is a long strap attached to a car seat, this tool was designed to keep the passenger in place when in a collision. According to, Traffic with a smile, “ Today, the seat belt serves to protect drivers and passengers from injury during any type of collision.” Tnsafety.org says, “More than 50% of vehicle occupants killed in crashes in Tennessee were not wearing seat belts.” There are many people that die everyday, because they had a collision and were not wearing a seatbelt.
Seatbelts should be required on school buses for a lot of foreseen reasons. Seatbelts can make school buses so much safer in so many different ways. One reason why seatbelts should be required on school buses is that it will save students lives. According to an article released by the “Today” show “About 440,000 school buses carry 24 million kids each and every day during the school year, which can be dangerous if the bus gets in a crash. Obviously, school buses should be required to have seatbelts if 24 million kids ride school buses each day.