The Importance Of Wearing A Seat Belt

In most states today, it is a law that the occupants of the front seat of a car and all children in the car be secured in place by wearing a seat belt. Many people have argued with such a requirement on the grounds that seatbelts actually cause injuries in the event of an accident. Despite this argument, it is important to wear a safety belt for a variety of reasons.

These belts help to restrain the body and stop forward motion before the body strikes the steering wheel, the dash, or the windshield. Impact with any of these at a fast enough speed is fatal and many would be surprised at how slow that speed really is.

They also prevent the driver from "standing" on the pedals and having inertia throw him/her forward to strike his/her head above the windshield. In a best case scenario, that type of motion can result in disability or paralysis. Worst case would equal a broken neck and death or paralysis from the neck down.

The injuries that one can sustain from wearing safety belts in a vehicle consist of possible cuts and bruising or an occasional broken collar bone. This degree of injury is very much preferable to the serious injuries one can receive when not wearing a seat belt.