Save your life, wear your seat belt

NEWBERRY – There is no valid argument against not wearing a seat belt for new and old drivers. Data consistently shows how wearing a seat belt greatly increases the chances of survival and decreases the chances of ejection.

Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that around 23,000 people are killed in car accidents every year. Over 51% of those deaths, or a little less than 12,000, were unrestrained while in the motor vehicle.

“Of the 23,824 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2020, 51% were not wearing seat belts,” data from the NHTSA shows.

One out of ten accidents involve ejections, yet 90% of ejections were not wearing a seat belt. Almost all of the ejections resulted in death. Buckling up in a passenger car decreases the risk of fatal injury by 50%, and in a light truck, seat belts decrease that risk by 60%.

The claim that an airbag alone is enough to prevent death is nothing but a myth.

“Air bags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them. Without a seat belt, you could crash into the vehicle interior, other passengers, or be ejected from the vehicle,” the NHTSA explains. “The safest way to ride is buckled up in a vehicle equipped with air bags. Even without an air bag, you are safer buckled up than you are with an air bag and not buckled up.”

Within the last year, almost every single wreck death in Newberry County would have been avoided had the driver worn a seat belt, according to Newberry County Coroner Laura Kneece. The drivers were ejected in almost every wreck, and ejection was the cause for almost every death, she added.

“Almost every single one of them would have lived had they worn their seat belt,” Kneece said.

Arguments for not wearing a seatbelt include that they are uncomfortable or that wearing one can cause more harm. Seat belts are one of the few things that will save your life in an accident, and the discomfort caused by them is better than the alternative, according to NHTSA.

“Wearing a seat belt can be uncomfortable, but being ejected and losing ones life in a tragic event is more uncomfortable for you and your loved ones than a seat belt is,” Kneece said.