Buckling up saves lives… it is also the law!
I think it’s safe to say that just about everyone knows that you are safer while riding in a vehicle when wearing your seatbelt. Unfortunately, there are still people who do not wear their seatbelt at all. Even fewer strap in while riding in the backseat and this can be a major concern for both the person not buckled in as well as everyone else in the vehicle. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have shown when adults buckle up, children also buckle up – on the other hand, when adults do not buckle up neither do children.
Let’s look at a few reasons as to why it is vitally important to wear a seatbelt in the back seat of a vehicle:
- Wearing a seatbelt anywhere in the car makes you safer – First and foremost, your chances of avoiding serious injury or death in the case of a vehicle crash are greatly increased by buckling your seatbelt no matter where you are sitting in the vehicle. A recent study showed that of all the people who were killed in auto accidents in a given year, less than 1 percent died while wearing their seatbelt. This statistic is a telling one indeed. Buckle up, always.
- Riding in the backseat is not necessarily safer – Of the reasons cited by those who confessed to not always buckling up while riding in the back, many stated that they felt safer due to the seats that are in front, and the fact that those riding in front are directly behind the windshield and dashboard. While there are some increased dangers with proximity to these areas, someone in the back who is not buckled up can just as likely be damaged by a windshield or dashboard as the momentum of the crash will see them fly forward. This feeling of safety while sitting in a backseat is a perceived one, not necessarily a real one.
- When you don’t buckle up in the back, you are a danger to everyone else in the car – One result of not wearing your seatbelt while in the back of a vehicle that not everyone considers, is that in the case of an auto accident, unbuckled backseat passengers become literal missiles. An unbuckled passenger can not only injure themselves in an accident, but also anyone else in the vehicle regardless if they are buckled in or not. Many auto accidents injuries and deaths are caused by an unbuckled passenger slamming into a buckled one during the crash. So even if you don’t feel the need to buckle up in the backseat to protect yourself, take a look at those who are in the front…and consider their safety if not your own, and BUCKLE UP.
There simply is no good reason to ride in a vehicle without securing your seatbelt. Make sure to secure yours during every road trip and if you are parent whose kids ride in the back, make sure they do as well. The result is simply fewer injuries and fewer deaths. One CLICK can do the trick and that simple little move can be the difference between life or death…literally. Front seat or back it makes no difference. Buckle up… always.
