Wearing A Seat Belt Is Imperative For Driving Safety
Oct 06
Teens have a lot to learn when it comes to driving; who better to learn from than an actual teenager? Everything Driving’s resident teenager, Jailyn, discusses teen driving topics in an effort to help keep other teens safe on the road. This time she covers the importance of wearing your seat belt.
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Nobody likes wearing seat belts. They are tight, uncomfortable, itchy, and on those hot summer days the last thing you want to do is wear a seat belt. While I can certainly agree that the seat belt isn’t the most comfortable thing in the world I am still a firm advocate in wearing it. Did you know that the seat belt, when used, reduced the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger by 45% and the risk of moderate injury by 50%.
Some people have concerns when it comes to the seat belt. The most common concerns include: “Can I get trapped inside my car?”, “Can a seat belt hurt my chest?”, “What if the seat belt starts to choke me?”
All of those concerns are realistic and there are ways to avoid a seat belts backfire, but a seat belt will help you more than it will hurt you. Studies show that wearing a seat belt is the most effective method to reduce injury or prevent death during an accident. Wearing a seat belt might not be the coolest thing to do when you’re out driving with your friends but here are some reasons why you should wear it anyway:
Ejection
Last year 75% of drivers ejected during a car accident were killed, all of those drivers weren’t wearing a seat belt. This could have easily been avoided if those people would have worn a seat belt. One of the seat belt’s main jobs is to keep you from being ejected and by doing so it could save your life.
Injury
Wearing your seat belt during a accident will keep your body from coming in contact with the inside of the car (steering wheel, car door, other passengers ). This reduces your chance of injury through bruising or broken limbs.
Law
Every state has some sort of law requiring that you wear a seat belt. If you get caught not obeying this law you will get a ticket, and it most likely won’t be very cheap.
Airbags
Airbags are useless without your seat belt. Even if the airbag goes off during a accident you could still be thrown from the car or bang against the interior of the car and passengers. Your body may not remain in a position that benefits the protection of an airbag if you’re not buckled up during an accident.
Happy To See You
Wherever you’re headed, there’s someone who will be happy to see you. Get there alive.
Wearing your seat belt is one of the smartest things you can do as a driver. It can be the thing that saves your life or it can help to minimize damage. Next time you go for a drive with your friend be sure to remind your friend to put on their seat belt. It could save their life.
Any teens that want to learn more about ways to help their friends and family can visit us at EverythingDriving.com. Also, make sure to come back and visit us at the blog, where we cover all aspects of safe driving. Want even more? Connect with us on social media to stay up-to-date on everything related to driving!