Seatbelts
Gabriela, Georgia, Anthony, Lluvia, Aubrey
Where we stand
In this presentation we will provide information regarding the statistics of fatalities when seat belts were not worn duing motor vehicle accidents. We also provide a list of states and their position concerning seatbelt laws.
Statistics
~Out of the 40,000 people that died in car accidents, 55% were NOT wearing seat belts.
Seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries
~According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the overall seat belt use rate in 2014 was 87 percent. Research has found that lap/shoulder seat belts, when used properly, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent.In light trucks, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent.
~As teens move the stages of Graduated Driving Licensing (GDL), they are more likely to stay buckled up in primary enforcement states than in secondary enforcement states.
~ Driving programs that combine education, peer-to-peer strategies, publicized enforcement, and parental monitoring may show potential for increasing teen seat belt use.
~Men are 10% less likely to wear a seat belt than women.
~Only 1% of passengers who were wearing a seat belt were ejected from a car during a crash.
~Therefore, whether your in the drivers seat, passengers seat, or in the back, wearing a seat belt is equally important and should be incorporated on every single journey.
Think about this...
The Texas Seat Belt Law states that...
How the United States enforce the seat belt law
Click it or Ticket or worse
How to correctly wear a seat belt
On the right, we have the incorrect way to wear a seat belt.
How the seat belt is changing
More than half of the people killed in car crashes were not restrained at the time of the crash. Wearing a seat belt is the most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in a crash.
Seat belt use is on the rise. Laws, education, and technology have increased seat belt use from 11% in 19812 to nearly 85% in 2013, saving hundreds of thousands of lives. Yet, about 1 in 7 people still don’t buckle up.
There are proven policies to increase seat belt use and save lives.
In 2009, more than 90 people died in motor vehicle crashes every day.
Excuses, Excuses...
"I'm only going to the shopping center." Actually, this is the best time to wear a safety belt, since 80% of traffic fatalities occur within 25 miles of home and under 40 miles an hour.
"I won't be in an accident; I'm a good driver." Your good driving record will certainly help you avoid accidents. But it won't stop a bad driver from hitting you.
"I'll just brace myself." Even if you had the split-second timing to do this, the force of the impact would shatter the arm or leg you used to brace yourself.
"I'm afraid the belt will trap me in the car." Statistically, the best place to be during an accident is in your car. If you're thrown out of the car, you are 25 times more likely to die. And if you need to get out of the car in a hurry - as in the extremely small percent of accidents involving fire or submergence - you can get out a lot faster if you haven't been knocked unconscious inside your car.
"They're uncomfortable." Actually, modern safety belts can be made so comfortable that you may wonder if they really work. Most of them give when you move - a device locks them in place only when the car stops suddenly. You can put a little bit of slack in most belts simply by pulling on the shoulder strap. Others come with comfort clips, which hold the belt in a slightly slackened position. If the belt won't fit around you, you can get a belt extender at most car dealerships.
"I don't need a belt - I've got an airbag." Lucky you! An air bag increases the effectiveness of a safety belt by 40 percent but airbags were never meant to be used in place of safety belts, since they don't protect against side impacts at all.
Why we have the seat belt
~ The three point seat belt was engineered and invented by Nils Bohlin.
~ The three point seat belt was born on July 17, 1920.
~ The seat belt was made in Härnösand, Sweden.
~ Before the three point seat belt was used people had 2 point seat belts, but race car drivers were mainly the only people who would wear a seat belt.
~ The 2 point seat belt would only strap across the body and had a buckle placed over the abdomen.
~ In 1958 the Volvo Car Corporation hired Nils Bohlin to be the company's first safety engineer.
~ In 1959 the three point seat belt was introduced in the Volvo cars.
~ The three point seat belt would now protect the upper and lower body of a person.
~ The Volvo car corporation made the new three point seat belt available for other car manufacturers so that they could use for free.
~ The three point seat belt was officially required in American vehicles from 1968 on wards.
~ The Seat belt saves more than 15,000 lives every year in the U.S.A.
Seat belt laws by state
Alabama: Primary
Alaska: Primary
Arizona: Secondary
Arkansas: Primary
California: Primary
Colorado: Secondary
Connecticut: Primary
Delaware: Primary
District of Columbia: Primary
Florida: Primary
Georgia: Primary
Hawaii: Primary
Idaho: Secondary
Illinois: Primary
Indiana: Primary
Iowa: Primary
Kansas: Primary
Kentucky: Primary
Louisiana: Primary
Maine: Primary
Maryland: Primary
Massachusetts:Secondary
Michigan: Primary
Minnesota: Primary
Mississippi: Primary
Missouri: Secondary
Montana: Secondary
Nebraska: Secondary
Nevada: Secondary
New Hampshire: no law for adults
New Jersey: Primary
New Mexico: Primary
New York: Primary
North Carolina: Primary
North Dakota: Secondary
Ohio: Secondary
Oklahoma: Primary
Oregon: Primary
Pennsylvania: Secondary
Rhode Island: Primary
South Carolina: Primary
South Dakota: Secondary
Tennessee: Primary
Texas: Primary
Utah: Secondary
Vermont: Secondary
Virginia: Secondary
Washington: Primary
West Virginia: Primary
Wisconsin: Primary
Wyoming: Secondary
What is a Primary and a Secondary Authority?
A primary authority is a term used in legal research to refer to statements of law that are binding upon the courts, government, and individuals. Primary authority is usually in the form of a document that establishes the law, and if no document exists, is a legal opinion of a court.
In law, a secondary authority is an authority purporting to explain the meaning or applicability of the actual verbatim texts of primary authorities (such as constitutions, statutes, case law, administrative regulations, executive orders, treaties, or similar legal instruments).
Sources
- http://exchange.aaa.com/safety/roadway-safety/safety-belts/#.VscztzbB9Ec
- http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/three-point-seatbelt-inventor-nils-bohlin-born
- https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiYn4afzovLAhVHhYMKHSwRDDMQtwIIHDAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.whsv.com%2Fhome%2Fheadlines%2FPolice-Stress-the-Importance-of-Seat-Belts-296632721.html&usg=AFQjCNFYJFYomz43R5zLEEW3oYS-axan4Q
- http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/laws/safetybeltuse/mapbeltenforcement
- http://www.fox26houston.com/news/7597797-story
- http://dmv.ny.gov/about-dmv/chapter-8-defensive-driving
- http://www.wired.com/2009/08/strapping-success-the-3-point-seatbelt-turns-50/