It’s not a myth: seatbelts save lives

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Brian Jones
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  Seat belts save lives.

It's safe to assume everybody has heard this and experts know that it's true, but yet there are still some who don't heed the warning.

According to the Public Safety Business Center at Fort Bragg, N.C., the lifetime odds that you will be seriously injured in a traffic accident are one in three, and one in a 100 that you will be killed. And it doesn't matter how well equipped a vehicle is if the passengers in that vehicle aren't wearing seat belts.

"Just because you have a vehicle with air bags and side-curtain airbags doesn't mean you don't have to wear your seatbelt," said Master Sgt. Andrew Jones, 39th Air Base Wing ground safety superintendent. "Air bags alone aren't going to protect you. Air bags come out with a lot of force and they are not as soft as a pillow, but they are softer than the steering wheel or the windshield. Seat belts are to be used in conjunction with air bags."

Another popular myth, according to Sergeant Jones, is that wearing a seat belt will prevent a person from being able to exit a vehicle after an accident.

"The fact is being trapped in vehicle only accounts for one-tenth of one percent of all vehicle injuries," said Sergeant Jones.

Sergeant Jones emphasizes that it isn't just the driver of the vehicle that should be restrained, but all passengers, even in taxicabs. The operator is responsible in most states and countries for their passengers.

"If there are four people in a vehicle (during an accident) and one isn't wearing a seat belt, it's like putting a bowling ball in there," said Sergeant Jones. "Until the vehicle comes to a complete stop their body will be flying around. Although three people in the car can be in compliance the one that's not can still cause injury or death to the other occupants."

Seat belts should be worn every time someone gets behind the wheel because even the shortest of trips can be hazardous.

"People will think about putting on their seat belts when they know they'll be getting on the highway," said Maj. Theodore Anderson, 39th ABW chief of safety. "They may not wear their seat belts on short trips. The most dangerous trip is the one to the grocery store. If you get in an accident while going 30 miles per hour without a seat belt on, it can kill you."

More Americans between the ages of one and 34 die as a result of a traffic accident than from any other cause, or any other mode of transportation.

"People don't think twice about buckling up on a plane and that plane won't taxi unless every one has a seat belt on," said Major Anderson. "Why would you think twice about putting your seat belt on in a car - a place inherently more dangerous than a plane?"

"It should be automatic," said Sergeant Jones. "It should be to the point where you're putting on your seatbelt before the key ever goes near the ignition."

Even the most seasoned drivers can be hurt or killed in motor vehicle accidents, and whether or not passengers are wearing seatbelts can determine if they survive the crash.

"Just last year we had two Airmen stopped at a traffic light just one mile from the Alley get rear-ended by a car going more than 60 miles per hour," said Major Anderson. "The only person who died in the accident wasn't wearing a seatbelt. The Airmen were wearing seatbelts and survived.

"You may have been driving for years and have a lot of confidence in your driving abilities," added the safety chief. "But how much confidence do you have in all the other drivers?"