Wearing Seat Belts In A Car Safety Law example essay topic

WEARING SEATBELTS We have all heard the excuses before, 'It's uncomfortable, I'm only going around the corner', I'd rather be thrown out of a car than be stuck in a seatbelt,' and my favorite, 'I'm a good driver I don't need to wear one. ' Well you may be a good driver but there are situations beyond your control such as bad weather, road conditions and not to mention other drivers that can affect your safety. Seat belts can mean the difference between life and death in an auto accident. Wearing a seat belt every time you enter a vehicle is not only the smart thing to do it is the right thing because it saves lives, it's the law and it will save you money. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 35. Wearing a seat belt can prevent death in about half of these accidents.

Did you know that every 15 seconds someone is injured in an automobile accident if they are not buckled up, or that every 13 minutes someone is killed in a crash. Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety related behavior. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration seatbelt's saved nearly 12,000 lives in the United States in the year 2000. The NHTSA estimates that more than 9,000 U.S. car accident fatalities in 2000 would have been avoided if the victims had been wearing seatbelt's. Sixty three percent of the people killed in accidents were not wearing seat belts.

The NHTSA also stated that seatbelt's reduce the risk of death for a front seat car occupant by about forty five percent. For the people who use the excuse that 'They are just going around the corner's would realize that 80% of traffic fatalities occur within a 25-mile radius of your home and at a speed of 40 miles an hour. Buckling up to drive around the block is probably the best time to do so. Everyone knows that car crashes can cause death; yet because people do not buckle up all the time thousands of people still die in traffic crashes yearly. Seatbelts can save your life in a crash and can reduce your risk of a serious injury. Seat belts keep drivers and passengers from being ejected through windows or doors.

This is important because your chances of being killed are five times greater if you are thrown from the vehicle. Thousands of people who die in car crashes each year might still be alive today if they had only been wearing their seat belts. Wearing a seat belt isn't just a good idea; it's the law and many states conduct heightened enforcement of their seat belt laws. Forty-nine states, all except New Hampshire have mandatory safety belt laws. In most states, these laws cover front seat occupants only, although belt laws in 16 jurisdictions including New York cover all rear seat occupants also. New York is one of 19 jurisdictions where belt use laws are standard, or primary, meaning police may stop vehicles solely for belt law violations.

In 17 states including New York the safety belt defense is allowed, meaning damages collected by someone in a crash may be reduced for failure to use a belt. The reduction is permitted only for injuries caused by non use belts. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have child restraint laws. Child restraint laws require children to travel in approved child restraint devices. The driver of a car is responsible for ensuring that where restraints are available, passengers under the age of 16 use them at all times and that young children must be approved 'child restraint system' car seats suitable to their age, height and weight. Also, a driver is not allowed to have more passengers than there are seat belts in a car.

In the state of New York as of December 1, 1984 it is a law that everyone whether front or back seat are required to wear seat belts. The cost of unbuckled drivers and passengers goes beyond those killed and the loss to their families. We all pay for those who don't buckle up, in higher taxes, higher health care and higher insurance costs. On average, inpatient hospital care costs for unbelted crash victim are 50 percent higher than those for a belted crash victim. Society bears 85 percent of those costs, not the individuals involved. Every American pays about $580 a year toward the cost of crashes.

If everyone buckled up this figure would drop significantly. By reaching the goal of 90 percent seat belt use, and 25 percent reduction in child fatalities by the year 2005, we will save $8.8 billion annually. Not only in taxes but seat belt tickets can mean points on your license and hefty fines. In New York the maximum fine for first offense is fifty dollars.

Everyday police officers pull over drivers for seat belt checks, don't let them get you. Wearing a seat belt is the single most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on roadways. Use of a seat belt can change a life or death situation for you or a family member. Seat belts are important personal protection equipment. Like hard hats, safety glasses, and hard toe shoes in industry, seat belts help to decrease the severity of accidental injury or to prevent injury when crashes occur. Remember, everyone has an equal chance of being in a collision so don't take chances on the safety of you and your fellow travelers.

Wearing a seat belt isn't just good sense, it's the law; it can save your money and your life. Why put your life at risk for something that takes 3 seconds to put on. So buckle up. Thank you!