Car owners and users tend to view seat belts as a burden or necessary evil. That is a practice that helps from getting pulled over by the authorities. However, seat belts save lives, so it deserves more credit than it gets.
If you have been injured in a car accident in Charlotte, NC, even with a seat belt on, a North Carolina auto accident lawyer can help you decide the next steps to take. But first, let’s discuss seat belts and their importance in auto collisions.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.3 million people die each year due to road traffic crashes. However, these statistics do not capture the injured. You can avoid many of these injuries and deaths by using seat belts. In addition, many life-altering injuries could be less severe.
What Happens During a Car Accident Without the Use of a Seat Belt?
When an accident happens, the vehicle collides with external objects like trees, houses, and other vehicles. Then, the victim’s body collides with the vehicle’s interior. The car occupant could be hit against hard car parts like the steering wheel, glasses, and metals.
The crash impact affects the inside of the human body. Here, internal body organs hit the chest wall or the skeletal structure. As a result, sensitive body organs get destroyed or ruptured, and internal bleeding may occur. Severe injuries and death occur mostly due to the preceding, especially where the car occupant didn’t wear a seatbelt.
What Role Do Seat Belts Play in Surviving Car Accidents?
It’s normal to wonder how seat belts reduce the fatality rate of car accidents bearing in mind that there is no manual on how these crashes occur. However, the following are reasons why seat belts are important.
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It Prevents Ejection
In a car accident where the car occupant is unrestrained, they might get ejected onto the roadway. Forceful ejection from vehicles could worsen an already bad situation as passengers are at the mercy of whatever direction the force takes them. This is where seat belts come to the rescue. It keeps accident victims in their positions during a collision.
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It Reduces Contact With the Car’s Interior
The collision of sensitive body organs with the vehicle’s interior (like the car steering, glasses, etc.) causes fatal injuries. What the seat belt does in this scenario is to restrain the victims to their seats to reduce the wound sustained. For example, the restraint keeps you from hitting your head against the vehicle’s dashboard.
There is no substitute for seat belt use. Likewise, airbags are not a substitute for seat belts. Therefore, restrain yourself and vehicle passengers.
Key Info on Seat Belt Use
The phrase “seat belt saves lives” is accurate, but the truth is, seat belts can only function maximally when they are worn correctly. The wrong application of seat belts could lead to even worse outcomes as accidents victims could be trapped or strangled during accidents.
The use of seat belts is not only required on long journeys; accidents can occur even on the shortest trip. You require your seat belts for a drive to the grocery the same way you do for an inter-state journey.
Seat belts do not make pregnant women uncomfortable in any way, as long as the seat belt is worn correctly. Victims of car accidents are likely to get strangled by the strap if it rests around the neck instead of the collarbone and across the chest.
In cases where the restraint does not fit properly, you or your passenger could use a seat belt extender to adjust it. Seat belts are not uncomfortable. People get used to using them after consistent usage.
Finally, have a seat belt cutter in your vehicle. Not that a knife may not cut through a stuck strap. So get a multi-cutter emergency seatbelt cutter.
Contact a Charlotte Car Accident Attorney at Ted A. Greve & Associates Now!
While seat belts are a crucial mitigator for vehicle accidents, people still suffer horrible injuries or lose their lives when they use them. If you have suffered injuries from a car accident due to no fault of yours, you deserve compensation. An experienced North Carolina car accident lawyer can help you out.
At Ted A. Greve & Associates, we’ll investigate, gather evidence, and determine who can be held liable for your injuries and other losses. In addition, we will help you answer questions from the at-fault party’s insurance company and negotiate adequate compensation.
Contact us today to schedule a free consultation and benefit from our experience and knowledge.
