Why Should People Wear Seat Belts in the Car?
Seat belt laws vary from state to state. In some states, the legal consequences of not buckling up are greater than in others. More serious concerns than having to pay a fine or appear in court can result from not wearing a seat belt. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), you increase your risk of death or serious injury when you choose not to buckle up in a motor vehicle.
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Stay on the Right Side of the Law
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According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), New Hampshire is the only state in the U.S. without a seat belt law governing adults. All 50 states require child safety seats for children meeting specific age or weight specifications. In terms of seat belt laws, penalties range from small fines (e.g., $10 in Arizona) to larger fines (up to $200 in Texas). Monetary penalties are similar for child passenger safety laws, but GHSA points out that several states, including California and Florida, apply points to an offender's drivers license as well.
Stay Alive
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Wearing a seat belt increases your chances of surviving a motor vehicle crash. In fact, NHTSA data reveals that the lives of 13,250 people, age 5 and older, were saved in 2008 thanks to seat belt use. If seat belt usage rates stood at 100 percent, NHTSA contends an additional 4,152 lives would have been spared. Child restraint devices saved the lives of 244 children, 4 years of age and younger, in 2008, according to NHTSA.
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Reduce Injury Risk
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NHTSA claims that the use of shoulder/lap belts reduces the risk of fatal injury among front seat car occupants by 45 percent. They decrease the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one study showed a drop in injury risk of 59 percent among 4-to-7-year-olds riding in booster seats versus a seat belt alone.
Crash Protection
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In a crash, seat belts keep you in your car. Contrary to popular myth, NHTSA believes this is a good thing. In 2006, NHTSA data reveals that three-quarters of those killed in motor vehicle crashes were ejected from their vehicle. Just 1 percent of restrained passenger vehicle occupants were thrown from their vehicle in a crash, while 31 percent of the unrestrained were.
Modeling and Proper Use
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When adults buckle up, the children they transport tend to be properly restrained as well. The CDC notes that when the driver rides unbuckled, children are not properly restrained 40 percent of the time. If you are going to set a good example, sound execution is also key. The CDC urges parents and guardians to install car seats properly, for example. They cite one study showing that 72 percent of car and booster seats were improperly installed. Whether in a car seat or seat belt, keep kids in the back seat. The CDC explains that injury risk drops by 40 percent when children under 16 years of age ride in the back seat.
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References
- Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA): State Seat Belt Laws, April 2010
- Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA): Child Passenger Safety Laws, April 2010
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): Lives Saved in 2008 by Restraint Use And Minimum Drinking Age Laws
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Child Passenger Safety - Fact Sheet
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA): Occupant Protection
- Photo Credit washington dc image by Ritu Jethani from Fotolia.com
