Seat belts are the primary life saving device in a motor vehicle but, unfortunately, many people have still not gotten that word.

There are a lot of reasons people have for not wearing seat belts. One of the reasons commonly heard is "I had a "friend" who was told that he/she would have been killed if they had been wearing a seat belt". This is basically an urban legend; one of those stories you always hear from someone else but that can never be traced back to its origin. It would be difficult to find an auto safety expert who wouldn't recommend wearing a seat belt in all situations. Another problem with this excuse is that it requires that you be in a very specific type of crash with events leading up to and during the crash occurring in a specific order. That is highly unlikely. When we get into a car, there is no way to predict the type of collision in which we could possibly be involved. We have to be prepared for any type of collision.

Other excuses include; "it's too uncomfortable", "I'd rather be thrown clear in a crash" or “I have an airbag”. As far as comfort goes, consider the alternatives; what is more uncomfortable, a seat belt or crashing through a windshield? Being thrown clear means hitting the concrete at the same speed the car was traveling at the time of the crash. No matter how severe a crash, you are always safer remaining inside the vehicle. Safe operation of the airbag depends on the passenger being belted in and, remember, the airbag only works if the airbag sensors are directly hit.

There is no guarantee that wearing a seat belt will always save your life or prevent injury but your chances of surviving a crash increase by up to 55 percent if you do.

Labels: driver safety, seat belt safety, wear seat belt