Most people have grown up continuously hearing that you should always wear your seatbelt. A lot of times, many of us brush it off, we have the mindset that it is just a quick drive or that as a good driver nothing will happen to us. But, having that mindset puts you at a high risk. It is important to realize that something can happen to you in your car in an instant, and without your seatbelt on, and even when you are driving slow, you can be seriously injured. Accidents are just that, accidents. They are unexpected and unintentional, this is why we have safety features like seatbelts that prepare us and keep us safer in the case of said accidents. Let’s talk about a few of the most important reasons that you and your friends and family should always wear your seatbelt.
Reason #1 The job of the seatbelt
The seatbelt’s job is to keep you in place. When riding in a vehicle, if you are not wearing a seatbelt when the car is impacted in an accident, it is highly likely that due to Isaac Newton’s first law of motion, you will be projected from your seat. In the circumstance of projection from the car, it is likely you could be thrown out one of the car windows, which will lead to severe injuries, if not death. The seatbelt is also designed to work with the airbag. The two of these safety features together highly increase your chances of survival in a car accident. Not wearing your seatbelt when the airbags go off can itself result in bad injuries.
Reason #2 The facts
Passengers that are in the rear seat of a vehicle who are wearing seatbelts that cover their lap and shoulder are 44% more likely to survive in a car accident. For those rear seat passengers in SUV’s and vans, they are 73% more likely to survive.
Reason #3 The consequences
Car crash related deaths in Texas are shockingly high. According to the AAA Exchange, nearly 33,000 people are killed in car accidents every year. This number is high, and it is quite scary to think about. But, if you wear your seatbelt all the time when in a vehicle, your chances of staying alive in a car crash are highly increased. The chances of surviving a bad accident and being projected from a vehicle increase by 45% when wearing your seatbelt, while in pickup trucks, the number is 60%.
Reason #4 Your insurance
If you are in an accident and not wearing a seatbelt, many insurance companies can and will refuse to cover your expenses. And even if you are not at fault in an accident, you can face a lot of trouble if the insurance company can somehow prove you were not wearing a seatbelt.
Reason #5 The law
Car safety in McKinney is no joke. And many states require drivers and passengers to wear a seatbelt at all times, and a police officer can pull you over if he suspects that you are not wearing one. You can even get a fine for it if you are pulled over for something else and that police officer sees you were not wearing your seatbelt.
Here at Nortex Lube and Tune, our McKinney car shop takes safety very seriously. Contact us about, or come see our trusted mechanical experts today to ensure that your vehicle is in top condition in order to keep you safe on the road.