Seat Belts prevent major injuries in Car Accidents
Seatbelts are the most important safety device in a car. They are designed to keep you from being ejected from the vehicle during a crash and to help prevent you from hitting other passengers or objects inside the car.
They were invented by a man named George Cayley, who is also responsible for inventing the modern airplane. He created the simple lap belt that held passengers to the seat, but these were not perfect.
How Did They Become Standard?
Nash Motors was the first car manufacturer to introduce seatbelts – in 1949! Ford Motor Company began including seatbelts on certain models in the mid 1950s. These were all “lap belts” and not the three point belts we have now.
We can credit Volvo for the introduction of the three point belts we enjoy now. Nils Bohlin – a Volvo engineer invented the three point belt in 1959.
These three point belts started making their way into cars in the 1960s and the US Government made it so all cars were required to have them by 1968. Today, seatbelts are required in all 50 states.
Why Wear Them?
Seatbelts save lives. In fact, they are estimated to have saved over a million lives in the United States alone since their introduction. If you’re not wearing a seatbelt, you’re much more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a car accident.
At the Law Badgers, we’ve seen the results of car accidents with and without seatbelts. It breaks our hearts to see the results of car accidents where the passengers were not wearing seatbelts. The injuries are much more extreme and sometimes involve death.
Wearing a seatbelt is the best way to protect yourself in a car accident. Seatbelts have been shown to reduce the risk of serious injury or death by up to 50%.
They are the best way to protect yourself in a car accident. Seatbelts have been shown to reduce momentum – thereby preventing significant injuries to those in the car. This is because seatbelts are designed to stretch a bit in a collision. This increases the time taken for the body’s momentum to reach zero, and so reduces the forces on it.
Seatbelts also help to keep you in the right position during a crash. This allows the airbags to do their job properly and prevents you from being thrown out of the car.
So remember, always wear your seatbelt! It could save your life!
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, do not hesitate to call the Law Badgers. We are fearless lawyers, down to fight. Call 1.833.383.4448 (1.833.DTF.IGHT) or email us at info@lawbadgers.com today.
Sources:
https://jalopnik.com/for-modern-seat-belts-the-third-point-is-the-charm-1765866349
Check out our car accident practice page here: https://lawbadgers.com/phoenix-arizona-practice-areas/phoenix-arizona-car-accidents/
