Newsflash! Car Seat Belts Are Still The Most Reliable Safety Feature

Added: 12/17/2005

Statistics show that car seat belts are the most dependable safety feature in a vehicle. If only people would take a second or two and buckle up, thousands of lives would be spared annually and automobile injuries would be of the fewer. It is important to make sure your seat belt is in good condition and isn't wearing and tearing. If you find the slightest tear it would be wise to replace the seat belt.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. That is very true when it comes to vehicles and vehicle safety. As years have gone by, the appearance of the vehicle has dramatically changed. Each year it seems as if new features are being added. But one thing that hasn't changed is the fact that the car seat belt is the most reliable safety feature a vehicle has to offer.

Car seat belts have saved millions of lives over the years. It is a proven fact that most deaths caused by automobile accidents are due to the fact that the driver or passengers failed to wear their car seat belts. No matter how much we stress the importance of car seat belts, a lot of people continue to ride unbuckled.

To many people, the reasoning for not wearing a seat belt remains a mystery. Some people feel as if wearing a seat belt is of their own option, and it is to a certain extent. Even though it is required by law to wear a car seat belt, it is impossible to penalize everyone who does not buckle up. But if you stop to think about it, why does law require wearing a seat belt? It's not because people enjoy hearing the clicking sound while buckling a seat belt. It's because the fatality rate is lower when car seat belts are used properly. The law was passed in order to save lives and it has in a lot of cases.

One report stated that if at least 90% of Americans appropriately used their car seat belt, over 5,500 lives would be saved and over 130,000 injuries would be avoided each year. See what a difference it would make?

As adults, it's our responsibility to teach children the importance of buckling up. Putting on your seat belt can become a habit or routine, kind of like brushing your teeth. Eventually, you will buckle up as soon as you seat yourself in your vehicle without even thinking about it.

Injuries and fatalities are the tragic results of failing to wear car seat belts, but on a smaller scale, Americans pay higher taxes and the cost of insurance and health care is higher when we do not wear seat belts.

There are other issues regarding car seat belts that we should remember other than buckling up. It's important to understand that seat belts do not and will not last forever. It is highly suggested that after used in a crash, you must seek replacement seat belts. Any seat belt that is even slightly frayed or torn can decrease its effectiveness by over 50%. Seat belts that have been exposed to constant sunlight over time can cause the belt to fade, therefore, increasing the chances of the belt snapping in heavy impact. Sometimes the buckle on the seat belt can deteriorate which may cause the seat belt to become released or unbuckled.

Awareness of your seat belt's condition can be equally as important as wearing it. This way you will know when it would be appropriate to acquire replacement seat belts.

We cannot stop accidents from happening as most of them are out of our control, but we can reduce injury and death when involved in an accident by simply buckling our seat belts and maintaining them.
Come on people, it's not the rocket science.

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