Most of us who are over the age of 30 grew up in an age where seat belts were not a priority. Back in the day, mom and dad piled us in the back of a station wagon, or the bed of a pickup truck, with no thoughts about seatbelts. I survived, and if you are reading this, so did you!
But today, we know better. We know that not wearing a seatbelt is just plain crazy. The fact is, statistically, seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about one half!
Some people might say: “But what if my car goes off a bridge and into a lake and I can’t get the seat belt off and I drown?” Ok, chances are that is not going to happen. If you do go off a bridge and into a lake, you are still probably better off having a seat belt on during the impact. And the seatbelt will probably not get jammed. If you are that worried about this unlikely scenario, keep a pocket knife or something sharp that will cut a seatbelt on your person or secured inside your vehicle!
Also, most cars on the road today have airbags. Seat belts and airbags are meant to be used together. Being struck by an airbag while not wearing a seatbelt can cause a cervical spine fracture and other spinal cord injuries.
Here is another point to consider: If you are injured in a car accident and were not wearing a seatbelt–even if you were not at fault in causing the accident–the law imputes some fault on you for failing to wear a seatbelt. A potential settlement or recovery for your injuries could be reduced because you were not wearing a seatbelt. Talk about adding insult to injury.
I have seen many cases in which people probably would have been less injured had they buckled up. I have neverseen an injury case in which it would have been better if the person had not worn a seatbelt. So please, do yourself a favor and buckle up every time!
