Why should people wear seat belts?
About 40,000 people die in traffic accidents each year in the United States. Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among people younger than 35 years old. Wearing a seat belt helps prevent serious injuries and death.FunctionIn a collision, a car stops in the first tenth of a second. However, the occupants’ bodies keep moving at the same speed the vehicle was traveling until they either hit the car’s interior or are thrown from the vehicle. Seat belts prevent this “second collision,” according to Oklahoma State University.EffectsAfter a crash, unbelted survivors of automobile crashes stay in the hospital three to five times longer than passengers who were wearing seat belts, and their medical costs are two to five times higher, according to the NHTSA.SignificanceSurveys by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that as seat belt use has increased since 1994, the percentage of deaths of unbelted passengers in daytime accidents has decreased.Considerati
