How often do drivers snap in their seat belts? Regardless of how many times we’re reminded to buckle in, only a few drivers remember to do it. Seat belt laws are great in enforcing seat belt safety. Statistics show that more than 15,000 lives in the US are saved every year because of drivers and passengers remembering to wear their safety belt.

Seat belts protect people in the following ways:

-Keep the vehicle occupants inside

Some drivers and passengers consider it safer not to keep their safety belt on in the event of a crash. Their argument is that they’re better off unrestrained as it gives them a better chance to escape. People thrown away from the site of a vehicle crash are 25 times more likely to die than those who remain in the vehicle.

-Seat belt safety helps your body slow down

A quick change in speed is more likely to cause you injury. During high speed impact, your safety belt slows down your body through reducing the force suppressed on your body. Without the safety belt, you’d more than likely go flying through the windshield and towards your death.

-Keeps the strongest parts of the body restrained

The strongest parts of your body are your hips and shoulders. This is where your seat belt lies. The belt’s role is to spread the crash’s impact over a wider surface area and keep the most crucial areas such as your head and spine protected.

A shoulder strap keeps one’s head and upper body away from the dashboard, wheel and other hard parts of a vehicle.

One out every buy maxalt melt five drivers will be involved in a car crash this year. Accidents are the primary cause of head and spinal cord injuries. More than 40% of motorists believe that seat belt safety is a good idea, but less than 15% of this number don’t practice it. Most drivers who don’t wear safety belts are those traveling a short distance or a familiar route. 75% of deaths from a crash occur just 5 miles from home.

What can be done to increase seat belt safety?

The State is playing its role by enforcing seat belt laws. Seatbelt manufacturers are playing their role by continuously improving seat belts to be more desirable for drivers and passengers. The public needs to continually remind each other to always wear safety belts.

Remember to always;

-Wear a safety belt on every trip no matter how short it is

-Keep all children under the age of 12 properly buckled in at all times

-Obey seat belt laws

-Educate each other about safety belt use

-Properly buckle in their children in the middle back seat if possible

Seat belt safety starts with you. The public should play its role to ensure each person is always educating the next and that they are following seat belt laws laid down by their State. It’s the only way we can guarantee that lives are saved on the road. Next time you are taking a short drive or a long one, next time you are being driven home as a passenger in the front or back, make sure you buckle in your belt first.