Buckling In – The importance of Seatbelts

Sirens screeching, glass covering the road, panicked people calling for help. The harrowing aftermath of a collision that caused my cousin to fly headfirst through the front windshield of his car. All I could do was visualize this terrifying scene as I was told what had happened hours later. Fortunately, he managed to survive the incident, but unfortunately, this type of accident is not a rare occurrence. Thousands of people across the U.S frequently drive or ride as a passenger without the use of their seatbelts.

In the average person’s busy life, clicking in a seatbelt can often take a place at the very bottom of the daily to-do list. We all were taught in driving school to check our rear-views and buckle in before driving off. But in practice, it has come to be seen as an unnecessary hassle, rather than a life-saving tool. Statistics prove that this is a relatively common view, according to the NHTSA, 47% of people in fatal car crashes during 2017 were not wearing seatbelts. Almost half, and that’s only people who got into car crashes. The percent would get even more frightening factoring in those who weren’t.

So why are seatbelts being so neglected? In recent years, there has been a general unawareness of the crucial importance of seatbelts in driving. It can be hard to think of a simple strap as crucial, especially compared to the plethora of other things that need to be worried about when on the road. But they play an indispensable role in preventing the driver or passenger from being ejected from the car during a crash, which can lower your chances of being seriously injured by a significant amount.

There is an undeniable need for more awareness to be spread about the dangers of driving without a seatbelt. On an interpersonal level, and the, global level there is so much that can be done to promote wearing seatbelts. We can tell our family and friends to make sure they buckle in each and every time they drive, and the more you do, the more likely they will be to remember to do it on their own when you aren’t in the car with them. A small reminder like this can make the difference in the event that a car crash does happen.

On a larger scale, car companies can produce bilboards that advertise the dangers of not wearing seatbelts, advertisers can run ads that remind you to constantly check if you’re buckled in, even smartphone companies can help out in the push to wear more seatbelts. Imagine if before you got in your car, your phone gave a small reminder to put on your seatbelt for those that easily forget to. Small changes like these can have the butterfly effect of saving the lives of people that otherwise would have not worn a seatbelt and ended up in a fatal collision.

It’s important to remember that as humans, we often can’t control what happens around us and never more so than when driving, but there is an incredible value in being prepared and taking advantage of things that we can control. So next time you drive, make sure you hear that click of a seatbelt. Don’t wait until you or someone you love ends up in a crash to remember the value of buckling in.