3 Seconds is All It Takes

Three seconds is all it takes. Three seconds can make the difference between life and death. Three seconds can determine whether you stay in the seat of the car or you catapult out of the windshield. Three seconds is all it takes to buckle in your seat belt.

While it may sound cliche, the most important way to become a safe driver is to buckle up. Seat Belts can reduce the risk of fatal injury in a vehicle by up to 60%. In 2017 alone, seatbelts saved an estimated 14,000 lives and could’ve saved an estimated 2,500 more if those people were using seat belts. Teaching others to use seat belts can help reduce this 2,500 to zero. Seat Belts are designed to work in tandem with airbags to reduce the impact of car accidents. While cautious driving may seem like the answer to some, the seat belt has been proven to mitigate the effects of serious accidents by an estimated 50%.

A couple of years ago, my mother, sister and I were driving down the highway when the car in front of us suddenly braked. My mother handily enough was able to break in time to not rear-end the vehicle in front of us but the car behind us was not so lucky. They rear-ended into our vehicle so hard that it pushed our vehicle into the car in front of us. My mother’s vehicle was severely damaged by this accident on both sides of the vehicle. Had it not been for the seat belts that the three of us were wearing, we could have been seriously injured evident by the impact of the crash. I was fortunate to have been raised by parents who made it a priority to be buckled up every time we entered the car. I have the seat belt to thank for not sustaining an injury from that car accident that day.

Next time you are out with a friend, make sure they are buckled up. All it takes is one sentence and you could save someone’s life. The most important thing to educate the population on in regards to safe driving is that the seatbelt is the most effective way to mitigate the impact of car crashes. While those three seconds may inconvenience you, it may just save your life.