Seatbelts: The Critical Decision

Morgan Janssen

2019 Drivers ed Essay Contest

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Seatbelts: The Critical Decision

Car accidents are the number one cause of death for teenagers. According to an article called road safety facts found on acert.org, “Nearly 8,000 people are killed in crashes involving drivers ages 16 to 20.” Your actions behind the wheel do not only involve you but everybody else who is around you. People are dying every day and affecting other peoples’ lives around them, but there are solutions to fix this problem. Every time you are in a car that is moving please wear your seatbelt, tell the person sitting next to you to wear their seatbelt. You and the person next to you will not regret it. "More than half of teens who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2015 were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash," according to an article titled seatbelt use facts stats found on teendriversource.org.

People are sadly dying every day because they decide not to wear their seatbelt when they get into a car. According to an article titled policy impact: seatbelts found on cdc.gov, “More than half of the people killed in crashes were not restrained at the time of the crash.” People may be forgetting to wear their seatbelt, or they are going on a short drive or think their airbags will protect them. However, the airbags do not help you unless you are wearing your seatbelt. If you are wearing your seatbelt it puts your body in the correct position and far away enough for the airbags to protect you instead of injuring you. So, what exactly happens when you get in a car accident? When you are not wearing your seatbelt, your body will collide with other objects in the car or with other passengers. Once your body comes to a complete stop, your internal organs will slam against bones or other internal organs creating fatal internal injuries. Nebraska is rated 24th of the most dangerous state for car accidents and has an average fatality of 13.53 per 100,000. The problem of not wearing seatbelts can have severe effects on others’ lives.

The effects of not wearing a seatbelt not only affect you as drivers but everyone else who are around you. “People who are not wearing a seat belt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash,” according to an article called policy impact: seatbelts found on cdc.gov. Drivers are not the only ones that can be affected. Other people like pedestrians, passengers, bystanders, or other drivers with passengers in their car. Nobody knows what will happen when one gets into a car accident. The car may roll and hit, for example, a pedestrian and change their lives forever. Families are also affected. I would like to share a story about my grandpa. My grandpa was on his way home on a country road between Martinsburg and Newcastle, Nebraska. He fell asleep at the wheel and ended up going into a ditch, but he woke up and tried to correct the car. However, the car rolled, and he was thrown from the car because he did not wear his seatbelt. The car landed on him. After a person found him and went for help, a farmer came with his tractor and lifted the car off him. Mercy AirCare took him to the hospital. They did try to operate on him, but his injuries were too severe. This all happened at 2:30 am on a Sunday. He passed away at 2:00 pm. This was a couple of weeks before my mom turned 13. He was only 36. The damage on the car was minimal so if he was wearing his seatbelt, he would have survived. Because of his choice of not wearing a seatbelt, he not only changed the lives of his wife, children, siblings or parents but for generations to come. He never saw my mom graduate, get married, or have kids. My brothers and I will only know him by stories told by our family members. When getting into a car please remember it is not just yourself that you will be affecting, but your family and people who may not be even born yet. To avoid these effects, there are some solutions.

There are many simple solutions to help fix this problem. According to an article called seatbelt statistics found on agersnider.com, “A seatbelt reduces the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45%.” Around 15,000 lives are saved each year because of seatbelts. To help fix this problem, states are coming up with new laws. However, there are only 34 states that have primary laws. Primary laws are laws where a police officer can pull over someone for that specific law, for example, speeding. A secondary law is when a police officer can charge someone after they receive a different traffic violation. Nebraska has a secondary law for riders ages 18 and older in the front seat. The maximum fine for the first offense is only $25.

Your actions behind the wheel not only affect you but everyone who is around you. We learned today that people are dying and affecting other peoples’ lives around them, but there are solutions to the problem. Every time you are in a car please just remember to wear your seatbelt. Tell the person next to you to wear their seatbelt. You and the person next to you will not regret it.