The Importance of Seatbelts

The Importance of Seatbelts What happens if you forget to buckle your seatbelt just one time in the course of your day? The odds of something happening, that may or may not be detrimental to your health, is purely coincidental, or is it? Perhaps statistics, and a personal event in my life, can explain the importance of the seatbelt. Statistics show that more than forty thousand deaths, in the United States, are caused from car accidents each year. More than half of them could have been prevented had those individuals worn their seatbelts. Even knowing this information, many people choose not to wear seatbelts anyway. It is extremely important for people to understand the significance of wearing a seatbelt. Perhaps understanding what it is that they do would be beneficial for people to know. Maybe even a personal experience I have endured would help people to understand how important seatbelts are as well. During a collision, the seatbelt works to stop the individual from hitting other parts of the vehicle. If a person is traveling at a speed of 15 miles per hour, so is the person inside the car. If a sudden stop occurs, such as a collision, the person inside does not stop moving until they come into contact with something to stop them, such as the steering wheel, dashboard, or the windshield. If a person were traveling at 30 miles per hour they would hit those objects in the same manner as hitting the pavement from a three story building. In order for a seatbelt to protect properly it must be worn across the lap and shoulder. Seatbelts are designed to tighten upon impact, stopping the body with the car. This also stops the person from lunging forward in the case of an accident. Yet, even knowing all of this some drivers still refuse to wear their seatbelt. Perhaps a personal experience would help to enlighten those that would not wear a seatbelt. My dad is a log truck driver, which is a dangerous job all by itself. We pray a lot at our house! Anyway, on the