Seatbelts Save Lives

Thinking about what many drivers consider unthinkable, a car accident, can save your life and reduce your injuries. Thinking about how you should react makes you more prepared to do the right thing if that day ever arrives. You simply will not have enough time to figure things out in the few seconds before the impact of a crash. In addition to this, you must adopt certain habits when in a car. The following explains this:

Watch your speed. The damage to your car and yourself in an accident is caused by the tremendous kinetic energy that's built up in your car. The faster you go, the greater this energy. Running as fast as you can into a brick wall is an example of kinetic energy at work. When you double your speed, the destructive kinetic energy quadruples. The faster you drive, the greater the severity of your injuries.
Apply firm and steady pressure to your ABS brakes. Don't slam or pump them, just keep the pressure steady and firm. The ABS system will do the rest. Keep braking right up to the point of impact. The more you can reduce your speed, the less the injury potential. Dropping your speed by one half reduces the accident destructiveness to a quarter of what it would have been. ABS brakes work best when the wheels point straight ahead.
Avoid jerking the steering wheel. Make your steering movements quick but smooth. This prevents your car from spinning out of control. It's better to impact something with the front of the car than with its side, which has no bumper or energy absorbing crumple zone. Your seat belt and airbags are more effective in a front-on collision.
Choose your point of impact if you can.
It's better to run your car into an empty field or bushes than into a large tree, concrete abutment, or head-on into another car. On the other hand, running off the road down a steep embankment or ravine causes a rollover accident and collision into hard immovable objects, which is something you want to avoid.
Wear your seatbelt. Decades of accident studies have verified that seatbelts save lives. Note that airbags are meant to work in combination with seatbelts. In fact, airbags cause serious injury to the unbelted driver or passenger.
Always sit properly. Make a habit of sitting upright with your back against the seat when in a car. This increases your chance of being in that position during an accident. Keep your hands on the steering wheel with straight wrists. Slouching, reclining the seat, or attempting to duck or cover your face with your hands and arms will cause greater injury.
Secure or put away all loose objects in your car. These become deadly missiles in a crash. The speed of a baseball after it's struck by a baseball bat achieves the same speed as the flying loose objects in your car during a
collision.