| Volvo has the honor of being the first to | | | | goes beyond those killed and the loss to |
| implement seat belts in 1849. The first U.S. | | | | their families. Everyone pays for this |
| patent for automobile seat belts was issued | | | | negligence. It may be in the form of higher |
| to Edward J. Claghorn of New York, New York | | | | taxes, higher health insurance fees, and |
| on February 10, 1885. | | | | higher medical costs. |
| | | | |
| This patent was described as a Safety-Belt | | | | Imagine running as fast as you can, into a |
| for tourists that was "designed to be applied | | | | wall. You'd expect to get pretty banged up. |
| to a the person, and provided with hooks and | | | | What if while running at full speed a wall |
| other attachments for securing the person to | | | | suddenly appeared in front of you? Would you |
| a fixed object." | | | | be able to stop instantaneously? |
| | | | |
| Failure to wear seat belts is responsible for | | | | This is exactly the situation one faces when |
| more fatalities than any other single traffic | | | | the front of his or her car hits something at |
| behavior. In all of the traffic accidents | | | | only 15 miles an hour. The car stops in the |
| reported for 1999, 63% of fatalities were not | | | | first tenth of a second, but you keep on at |
| wearing seat belts. | | | | the same rate you were going in the car until |
| | | | something stops you, the steering wheel, |
| Wearing a seat belt use is still the single | | | | dashboard or windshield, if you're not |
| most effective thing we can do to prevent | | | | wearing your safety belt. |
| unnecessary traffic deaths and injuries on | | | | |
| America's roadways. | | | | If this could happen at 15 miles an hour, |
| | | | imagine what a 30 mile per hour collision |
| Traffic data suggests that education alone is | | | | would result in? It would be the same as |
| not enough to convince young people, | | | | hitting the pavement after a 3 story fall. |
| especially males from ages 16 to 25 of the | | | | |
| dangers of not using seat belts. This age | | | | A properly worn safety belt keeps that second |
| group is caught up in the belief in their | | | | collision - the human collision, from |
| immortality due to their young age. | | | | happening. |
| | | | |
| It is this age group that also exhibits the | | | | "Properly worn" means with both straps safely |
| most violation of drunk driving laws. They | | | | fitted to transfer the impact of the |
| are also the most prone to speeding, and | | | | collision to the parts of your body that can |
| other traffic related law violations. | | | | take it, the hipbones and shoulder bones. |
| | | | |
| Because of this, it has been suggested that | | | | With just the shoulder strap on, one can |
| stronger seat belt laws and higher visibility | | | | still slide out from under and get strangled. |
| enforcement campaigns be enforced to make | | | | The lap belt alone doesn't keep one's face |
| them buckle up. | | | | from hitting the steering wheel or other |
| | | | parts of the car. |
| Seat belts are the most effective safety | | | | |
| devices in vehicles today, estimated to save | | | | Wearing seat belts is the law in most |
| 9,500 lives each year. If 90 percent of | | | | countries. There really isn't any reason not |
| Americans buckle up, it could prevent more | | | | wear them aside from plain laziness. But |
| than 5,500 deaths and 132,000 injuries | | | | imagine, that investment of a couple of |
| annually. | | | | seconds before you carry on to drive could |
| | | | save your life. Why not make that commitment |
| The cost of unbuckled drivers and passengers | | | | to invest now? |