Even though seat belts have been in cars for decades, some people still fail to use them. Part of the reason for this, is that current generations fail to learn the lessons of previous generations. Each generation starts from scratch and must either be convinced, or learn the lesson themselves the hard way. This is why thousands of people die each year when involved in a car crash without their seat belt on. Hopefully, these three reasons for wearing a seat belt will convince some people to buckle up.

Injury Is Painful

While this is obvious, it helps to visualize what an accident without wearing a seat belt would feel like. Imagine sprinting as fast as you can into a solid wall. It’s not a pleasant thought. When your car hits a solid object such as a concrete wall or a large oak tree, the effect is the same as running into the object at the same speed as the car. The difference is that the person would hit the windshield or dashboard at the same speed. Even though the tree stops the car, an unbelted passenger continues moving forward until he hits something inside the car. Cars often travel three or four times as fast as a person can sprint.

Seat Belts Prevent Ejection from a Car

Car ejections increase the chances of dying by a factor of four. They can happen in high-speed collisions, which cause doors to open, windows to shatter, and windshields to break. Rollover accidents have a very high rate of passenger ejections. This isn’t surprising given the violent tumbling that occurs to unbelted occupants of the car. Like high-speed collisions, the structural integrity of the car’s doors, windows, and windshield are severely compromised.

Seat Belts Allow You to Walk Away from Many Car Accidents

The simple act of buckling into your seat belt means that you avoid weeks or months of hospitalization and surgeries, and possibly avoid a permanent disability. It means that your biggest worry is getting a large enough insurance payment to repair or replace your car. This of course, assumes that others involved in the accident were not injured. Seat belts combined with airbags have allowed many people to survive severe accidents with minor injuries.

If you or someone you love were injured in an accident, the lawyers at Hogan Injury can help you get the compensation you deserve. For a free case evaluation, contact us.