Seatbelts and Car Accidents

ORLANDO, FL, July 29, 2012 (Press-News.org) Research shows that seatbelts routinely save lives during car accidents. In over a half of all fatal car accidents, the victims are not wearing seatbelts - or else not wearing them correctly. When a seatbelt is properly worn, it reduces the front passenger's risk of fatal injury by 45%, and their risk of serious injury by 50%. Meanwhile, passengers riding in the back seat of a van or SUV during a car accident can reduce their risk of injury by 73%.

Putting Seatbelts into Perspective

When an obstacle looms ahead of you before a collision, your car may stop in the first tenth of a second, but you will keep moving at the same rate you were going when the car was at full speed. If you're not wearing your seatbelt, you will collide with the dashboard, steering wheel, or windshield. This is bad enough when you crash at 15 miles an hour; at 30 miles an hour, you will hit the obstacle four times as hard - which is the same level of impact you'd feel if you fell three stories.

The correct way to wear a seatbelt is to ensure both straps are snugly fitted around you. This way, the full impact of the collision is transferred to the parts of your body that can withstand it - specifically, your shoulder bones and hipbones. If you are only wearing the shoulder strap, you can potentially slide out from under the strap and strangle yourself. On the other hand, if you only wear your lap belt, you won't be able to keep your head from hitting the dashboard or steering wheel.

Common Excuses for Not Wearing a Seatbelt

We come up with all sorts of excuses to not wear a seatbelt, but none of them hold up under scrutiny. Below are some of the most common reasons people decide not to wear a safety belt:

- "I'm a good driver. I won't get into a car accident." - Sure, your good driving skills may help you avoid accidents, but you can't always prevent a bad driver from hitting you.
- "I'm only going down the street." - Around 80% of all traffic fatalities occur within 25 miles of the victim's home, while the vehicle is traveling under 40 miles per hour.
- "If I do get into a car accident, I'll just brace myself." - Even if you had the foresight to do this during a split-second accident, the force of the collision would shatter the leg or the arm you used to brace yourself.
- "I've got an airbag. I don't need a seatbelt." - Airbags increase the effectiveness of seatbelts by 40%, but they were never designed to be used in place of a seatbelt. Not to mention, airbags cannot protect you against side impacts.
- "I'm afraid the seatbelt will trap me in my car." - According to statistics, the absolute best place for you to be during an accident is inside of your vehicle. If you are thrown from the car, you are 25 times more likely to suffer fatal injuries. And even if you do need to get out of your car because of fire or water submergence, you can escape a lot more quickly if you haven't been knocked unconscious.

If you would like more information about car accidents, please visit the website of experienced Orlando car accident attorney Michael Barszcz, M.D., J.D. today at www.themdjd.com.