Some safety systems, like cameras that identify when you have started to veer out of your lane, are only available if you purchase prestige vehicles or opt for the most expensive packages available. Other safety systems, like airbags and safety restraints or seat belts, are standard in every single vehicle.
Not only does every vehicle include seat belts, but the law also requires that you utilize them if you are in the front seats of a vehicle or under the age of 18. As an adult, you may find it patronizing or insulting to have the state tell you that you must take certain safety precautions before driving.
Some people who question the necessity of seat belt laws will claim that seat belts don’t have much impact on traffic safety. Is that an accurate claim?
Seat belts save thousands of lives
According to data provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the proper use of seat belts can reduce your risk of dying in a crash by 45% and your risk of sustaining a serious injury by 50%.
When people experience a crash without a fastened seat belt, they are a shocking 30 times more likely to experience ejection from the vehicle, which is fatal more often than not. The CDC estimates that the use of safety restraints has saved more than a quarter of a million lives since the 1970s.
Even short trips and parking lots necessitate the use of restraints
Some people think that if they drive quite close to their house or in areas with low speed limits that they don’t mean to use a safety restraint. Someone just driving a few blocks to a local shop might think that the low speed limit and traffic density make putting on a seat belt unnecessary.
However, you never know when a drunk driver might speed through a four-way stop and smash into you. The same is true in parking lots. Someone who isn’t paying attention or driving it inappropriately slow speed could strike you at any point in the parking lot, which is why it is usually wisest to use a safety belt whenever you are in a vehicle with the engine running.
Minimizing risk of an injury in the event of a motor vehicle collision is as important as educating yourself about your rights if you do end up hurt in a crash.