Driver Education Initiative – Seatbelts: The Critical Decision

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.