The Importance Of Seatbelt Safety

According to Arnold Schwarzenegger, the “Government's first duty and highest obligation is public safety”. In 1983, the Government passed a legislation requiring the driver and front seat passengers to wear seatbelts. In a collision, seatbelts have been proven to cut the risk of death by 45% and serious injury by 50%. All passengers choosing to not wear a seatbelt are at greater risk of being ejected from the vehicle during a crash. Hundreds of thousands of people die each year in car crashes which could be prevented by properly and consistently wearing a seatbelt. Seatbelts have been proven to save millions of lives though the years and saved my brothers life too. However, my brother will forever wear the scar of improper use of a seatbelt.

When it comes to driving around with my parents, that means following the car rules. No eating in the car, no drinking, no kicking the back of the seats, no throwing things at your brother or sister, no laser pointers (it’s a long story), and always wear your seatbelts. Often times, my parents wouldn’t start the car until we all had our seatbelts on. Theses rules soon were forgotten like the roads behind us. Inevitably, the car became messy, seats were kicked, and seatbelts were misused. In 2004, my mom and my brother, Cole, were on their way to pick me up from school when a small pickup truck turned in front of my mom while she was going 42 mph. The drivers side impact caused the car to spin and the airbags to deploy. It wasn’t until she got out of the car to check on Cole that she realized, he was injured. His face was bleeding and he said that his face had hit the back of the drivers side seat. The only way that could have happened was because he was wearing his seatbelt incorrectly. At 8 years old, the shoulder harness of the seatbelt was uncomfortable and hitting him at the neck line, so he chose to tuck it under his arm. Causing him to lack the support needed to hold his body back from the forward motion.

A major reason that people choose to either improperly wear their seatbelt or not at all is due to the fact that they are uncomfortable and leave red rashes on their necks. This was the case for my 8 year old brother at the time as well. 4% of children today still do not wear seatbelts daily and it is becoming a growing problem in our society. Since 2004, many toy companies have come out with products encouraging children to enjoy car rides and make wearing a seatbelt more comfortable. This is important because if we can make any change to the rate of fatalities of children not wearing seatbelts, then we are saving another child’s life by making them excited to put on their seatbelt instead of ignoring them overall.

Additionally, drivers don’t think they need the safety of a seatbelt because they are “not driving that far” and “its only a short distance”. 57% reduce injury while driving slow and not going far but they are still at risk of getting in an accident. Your seatbelt could be life or death even if you are just going down the street. In 2017, more than 20 states considered a legislation to enforce seat belt laws. The laws are formed to increase seatbelt use and decrease fatalities and injuries on the roads. Going a short distance is never a good reason for not wearing a seatbelt.

Accidents can occur anytime and anywhere, whether you’re a block away from home or three states away. With this in mind, buckling your seatbelt whether you are traveling a long distance or a short distance should be a common routine when entering our motor vehicles. Another common mistake found with teens and adults not wearing seatbelts is that they forget to buckle up all together. In fact, more than half of the teens (13-19) and adults (20-44) who were fatally killed in car crashes in 2016 were not buckled up at the time of the crash. It was also proven that backseat passengers are even less likely to wear seatbelts than front seat passengers. Because of this, in the 1970’s, NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) proposed using dashboard indicators to signal to the driver that someone in the car is unbuckled. This tool is important to our society and the drivers around us so they know that they are keeping us safe while keeping themselves safe. After being proven that young adults are less likely to wear seatbelts than those in older age groups, it is clear to that that due to their young age, they haven’t had the ability to get into a common routine of buckling their seatbelts before they leave the driveway.

All things considered, wearing seatbelts can save millions of lives when used correctly and efficiently. Thanks to new standardized technology, seatbelt compatible accessories for comfort and willingness to buckle up even if “its 2 minutes away” , it is how harder for drivers to forget to buckle up knowing that they may be saving their life and the lives of others around them. Thanks to seatbelts, my brother proudly walks away with no more than a scar on his nose and an appreciation for the protection surrounding him.