By Marilyn Morris
Child Advocacy Specialist
As child passenger safety technicians at Primary Children’s Medical Center, we help many families with car seats. We also hear many excuses when we ask parents if they buckle up every time they get in a vehicle.
Here are some of the most common excuses we hear:
“I don’t think anyone should tell me what to do in my own car.”
Individual rights are important, but when you are careening completely out of control toward another car or tree, think again. Wearing a seat belt helps you stay in the proper position to maintain control of your vehicle if you are driving, or from smashing into another passenger, and they prevent you from being ejected in a crash or roll over. Laws are for everyone’s protection.
“Seat belts are not comfortable.”
Hitting a windshield or another passenger would be worse. Today’s seat belts are designed to move with you unless you lock the belt or get into a crash. This makes them a lot more comfortable than casts, stitches or gurneys. It’s also important to know that moving the shoulder belt under your arm puts you at greater risk for serious injury in a crash.
“I don’t need a seat belt because the air bag will protect me.”
If you are in a crash going 30 mph the force of impact is the same as falling head first from a three-story building. In a crash your body will continue moving forward until something stops it. Meanwhile the airbag is deploying at speeds of up to 250 mph which can harm you even at low speeds if you are not in the proper position. Wearing a seat belt makes you less likely to collide with the airbag, steering wheel, or dashboard and more likely to be in the proper position where the air bag can protect you.
“None of my friends use seat belts.”
Why risk your life and those around you because of other people make bad choices? Get educated about seat belt use and be the trend setter. Unbuckled passengers are a danger to everyone else in the car. If the car stops suddenly, the unbuckled passenger can become a pinball that smashes into everyone and everything. An unbuckled person can die and kill someone else.
“I might get trapped in my car.”
We all know someone who swears they know someone who would have been killed if he/she hadn’t been thrown from their vehicle. The fact is your chance of being killed is 25 times greater if you are ejected. Also, the odds of being in a burning or submersed vehicle are less than 1%. If you are worried about being trapped by a seat belt, carry a belt cutter in your car. Wearing a seat belt will increase the odds that you will still be conscious if you need to cut your way out of your belt.
“It will wrinkle my clothes.”
Living wrinkles clothes. If your appearance is so important at where you are going, wear something else when driving or riding, and change when you get to your event.
“I’m pregnant and I don’t want to hurt the baby.”
The best way to protect your growing baby is protect yourself. Just make sure to wear the lap belt low on your hips and not across your belly. Move the front seat back as far away as possible from the steering wheel and dashboard but close enough to still reach the pedals comfortably. If you are in a crash, you should see your doctor even if you feel fine.
“I’m a good driver.”
You may be the best driver in the history of motorized vehicles, but you are on a road with distracted, drowsy, drunk, impaired, or inexperienced drivers who may be coming at you from all sides. There are also other circumstances such as weather, blow outs, animals, and road construction over which you have no control. No matter how careful you are, car crashes happen and you are more likely to survive if you are buckled.
“I raised all my kids without seat belts or car seats and they turned out just fine.”
We also used to not have penicillin and dishwashers. Statistics show that drivers and passengers who use seat belts are 50% more likely to survive a crash than those unrestrained. Today we travel more miles, drive faster, have more distractions and deal with more traffic on the road.
“I don’t need to wear a seat belt if I am only going up the street.”
Light traffic, short distances, or driving slowly are not good reasons for not buckling up. According to the National Traffic Safety Bureau, 80 percent of all crashes come at speeds less than 40 mph, and 75% of all crashes occur within 25 miles of home. You may have heard the joke about the woman who wanted to sell her house after hearing this statistic.
“Seat belts can cause serious injuries.”
“Seat-belt Syndrome” refers to injuries which can be caused by wearing a seat belt in a crash. It is important to make sure you are wearing your seat belt correctly. The shoulder belt should cross over the middle of your chest across your collar bone, and lap belts should ride low over your hip bones. This is why booster seats are so important for children under 4’9”. Injuries are more likely to occur and be serious if you wear your belt too low, too high, too tight or too loose. If you are “traditionally built,” you can always buy a seat belt extender from your vehicle manufacturer for a more comfortable fit.
“I forget” or “It’s not convenient.”
How can anyone ignore the warning beeps that sound when the belts aren’t buckled? New cars are being made with warning alarms for the back seats, too. Life is hectic and we all get in a hurry, but buckling up is a habit we can all live with.
According to Zero Fatalities, “Failing to buckle up contributes to more fatalities than any other traffic-safety-related behavior. Seat belts save lives.” For more information and videos about seat belt use and traffic safety you can go to Click it Utah or call the Child Passenger Safety technicians at Primary Children’s at 801-662-CARS.
We encourage everyone to buckle up every time, every ride, and make sure everyone else in your vehicle does the same.
