The efficacy of seat belts in preventing mortality and morbidity in road traffic accidents is well established. However a significant percentage of people shirk from using them. Safety experts point out that most of the reasons given by people for not using seat belts are based on faulty logic i.e. myths as under:

1.       "I'm only going for a short drive." According to the Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey, this is the primary reason (56 per cent) given by people for not using seatbelts. Actually, this is the best time to wear a safety belt, since 80 per cent of traffic fatalities occur within 25 miles of home and under 40 miles an hour.

2.       "I won't be in an accident: I'm a good driver." Even if one is a good driver, another bad driver may still cause the accident.

3.       “I don’t need to use it in the rear seat.” Rear seat passengers are significantly prone to injuries in crashes and seat belt use significantly reduces the chance of injury. Moreover, unbelted rear passengers increase the risk of death for belted front passengers nearly five fold.

4.       "I'll just brace myself." Even if one had the split-second timing to do this, the force of the impact would shatter the arm or leg used to brace oneself.

5.       "I'm afraid the belt will trap me in the car." Statistically, the best place to be during an accident is in the car. If one is thrown out of the car, one is 25 times more likely to die.

6.       "They're uncomfortable." Safety belts today actually allow one to move freely and only lock when there is a sudden motion of the belt, like in a crash. Special features like comfort clips and belt extenders are available.

7.       "I don't need a belt – my car has an airbag." An air bag increases the effectiveness of a safety belt by 40 per cent but is not very effective overall by itself. Air bags were never meant to be used in place of safety belts, since they don't protect against side impacts at all.

8.       “As long as I use a seat belt, it doesn’t matter how I use it.” An improperly placed seat belt is not only optimally effective, it can also be dangerous since it could increase the risks of certain injuries.

Thus there is no known valid excuse for not using this most effective safety feature currently available in vehicles – ALWAYS USE THEM.

Pic: Antonio J. Sanchez