The Importance of Seatbelts:

How many times have you opened the morning paper only to learn of another traffic fatality? More often than not, as you read the article, you learn that the victim was an unrestrained passenger or driver. From 1975 through 1996, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seatbelts saved an estimated 90,425 lives. An estimated 75,000 lives were saved between 2004 and 2008. Each year more than 40,000 Americans are killed in motor vehicle crashes. Some experts estimate that the number could be reduced in half by merely "buckling up". According to NHTSA, the lap-shoulder belt system, if used by drivers and front seat passengers, will reduce the risk of fatality and serious injury by Fifty (50%) Percent. The lap belt shoulder to hip belt protects the internal organs and minimizes the possibility of head contact or excessive neck motion thereby helping to prevent head and neck injuries when crashes occur. Unrestrained drivers are typically thrown against the steering wheels or ejected from the vehicles. Unbelted passengers strike the dashboard or are propelled through the windshield. The likelihood that a passenger or operator will be ejected in a crash is twenty five times greater when unrestrained.

The cost resulting from injuries or fatalities to unrestrained drivers and passengers is astronomical. It is estimated that the cost to Americans resulting from higher insurance premiums, higher medical costs and higher taxes is more than $130 billion dollars annually.

Although it is the law in Pennsylvania that drivers and front seat passengers be restrained, the difficulty in enforcing such a statute is obvious and its impact is at best minimal. Public awareness, particularly among young and inexperienced drivers and front seat passengers, is essential. People must be constantly and repeatedly reminded of the extreme dangers an unrestrained driver or passenger is subjected to. A concerted effort to continue to educate and remind the public of the danger one exposes him or herself to by failing to use the seatbelt is essential. Seatbelts save lives, that is common sense and a statistical certainty! Each of us must remind ourselves of the importance of wearing seatbelts and continually remind all of our loved ones and friends.

Submitted By:

James T. Davis, Esquire
jdavis@davisanddavislaw.com