According to a report by Deseret News, on October 24th, 2015, in Utah, a vehicle with three people was traveling east on state Route 150 east of Kamas when the driver failed to negotiate a curve in the road. Utah Highway Patrol troopers narrated that the vehicle spun sideways and struck an embankment on the side of the road, then rolled and came to rest on its top.
Larry Paul, 28, was ejected from the vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the Patrol.
Like the deceased in the aforementioned incident, millions of drivers and passengers choose not to wear seat belts. This may lead to very serious consequences. Given below are a few statistics regarding seat belt usage.
- Seat belts can reduce injury and death rates by 50%.
- Adults aged 18-34 are less likely to wear seat belts than those 35 or older.
- Men are 10% less likely to wear seat belts than women.
- In 2011, 58% of teen drivers killed in crashes were not wearing a seat belt.
- Teens have the lowest seat belt use out of any other age group.
These statistics clearly imply the importance of wearing a seat belt. The risks involved in not wearing it are mentioned as under:
- Seat belt usage reduces the chance of traffic-related fatalities by 45 percent. According to NHTSA, in 2006, over 15,000 lives were saved by seat belt use. This proves that not wearing a seat belt can be life threatening.
- Teens are usually more exposed to the dangers of not wearing a seat belt. This is because most teens consider wearing a seat belt to be “uncool”. In reality, there is nothing uncool for trying to be a little cautious about your life. Apart from considering the act of always wearing a seat belt uncool, teens, according to teendriversource.org, upon being asked the reason for not wearing a seat belt commonly responded as:
- The belts are uncomfortable
- The trip was short
- Forgetfulness
- Lack of understanding a seat belt’s importance
- Science tells us that when something is in motion, it stays that way until it hits an immovable object. The exact same thing happens to the body of a person sitting in a car, after a collision. Since the body of the person is moving with the speed of the car, when the car collides, it stops but that doesn’t stop you from going through you windscreen towards certain death. What does stop you is your seat belt.
Being thrown from the car is a major cause of serious injuries and deaths in accidents. The seat belt prevents this from happening by keeping you in place. Of course, you might get bruised by the pressure applied by the belt on your chest and stomach but those bruises would be far less painful and disturbing as compared to the injuries you would have had gotten had you been driving without a seat belt.
- Lastly, let us bring the least overwhelming danger of not wearing a seat belt. The legal offense. In most countries, not wearing a seat belt is considered a legal offense. Due to this sole reason, you could get fined or charged.
The Learn in car sessions in Guelph pays extra attention to make their students are habitual of wearing a seat belt, not only during driving lessons, but also out in the public.
