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Secure and Safe: Seat Belts Are Saving Lives

One of the safest choices that drivers and passengers can make is to buckle up. Last year, seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 14,668 lives. Many Americans understand the lifesaving value wearing seat belts, the national use rate is at 90.1%, but almost 27.5 million people still don’t buckle up. Here are intriguing facts about seat belts, brought to you by Service King North Lamar in Austin, TX. 

Of the 37,461 people killed in car crashes in 2016, 48% were not wearing seat belts. In 2016 alone, seat belts saved approximately 14,668 lives and could have saved an additional 2,456 people who wear seat belts.

The consequences of not wearing a seat belt include the following:

-Buckling up helps to keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle, whereas not buckling up can result in being totally ejected from a vehicle in a crash, which is almost always deadly.

-Airbags aren't enough to protect you; in fact, the force of an airbag can seriously injure or even kill you if you fail to buckle up.

-Improperly wearing a seat belt, like putting the strap below your arm, puts you and your children at risk in a crash.

The benefits of buckling up include the following:

If you buckle up in the front seat of any car, truck or SUV, you can reduce your risk of:

  • Fatal injury by 45%
  • Moderate to critical injury by 50%
  • If you wear seat belts in a light truck or van, you can also reduce your risk of:
  • Fatal injury by 60%
  • Moderate to critical injury by 65%

Some other things to also remember:

1. Buckling up is the most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash.

Seat belts are the optimum defense against impaired, aggressive and distracted drivers. Being buckled up during a crash helps you to keep you safe and secure inside your vehicle; being completely ejected from a vehicle is almost always deadly.

2. Airbags were designed to work with seat belts, not replace them in any way.

If you don’t wear your seat belts, you could be thrown into a rapidly opening frontal airbag. Such force could injure or even worse, so learn about airbag safety.

3. Guidelines to buckle up safely.

The lap belts and shoulder belts are secured across the pelvis and rib cage, which are better able to withstand collision forces than other parts of your body.

Place the shoulder belt firmly across the middle of your chest and away from your neck.

The lap belt should always across your hips, not your stomach.

4. Fit matters

Before you buy a new vehicle, check to see that the seat belts are a good fit for you.

Ask your car dealer about belt adjusters that can help you get the best fit.

If you need a longer seat belt, contact your vehicle manufacturer to obtain seat belt extenders.

If you drive an older or classic vehicle with lap belts only, check with your vehicle manufacturer about how to retrofit your vehicle with today’s safer lap/shoulder belts.

5. Seat belt safety for children and/or pregnant women

Make sure to find out about when your child is old enough to wear an adult seat belt and learn about seat belt safety if you’re pregnant.

Service King North Lamar in Austin, TX 78752 

Sources: YouTube and WENY News

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