Car Safety and Seat Belt Use

The History of Car Safety and Seatbelt Use

Roughly 40,000 people die each year in car accidents, half of which could have been prevented if seatbelts were worn. Statistics show that 63% of people killed in automobile accidents involve those who were not wearing seat belts, which is the sole traffic safety-related behavior that contributes to more fatalities than any other. Numerous studies have compared the effectiveness of wearing a seatbelt versus driving unrestrained and have concluded that the use of a seat belt dramatically reduces the risk of injury and fatality. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported in 2008 that fifty-five percent of those killed in passenger vehicle occupant crashes were not wearing a seat belt and sixty-four percent of those killed during the night were unrestrained, compared to 45% during the day. Unfortunately, even though this seems a though it is common knowledge a majority of people still neglect to wear seat belts while operating a motor vehicle. Statistics by James Madison University demonstrate that more than 90 percent of all motorists believe safety belts are good idea, but less than 14 percent actually use them, and with motor vehicle crashes being the leading cause of death among people age 44 and younger and the number one cause of head and spinal cord injury, it seems that education alone is not convincing young people to wear their seat belts when they drive.

Prior to the development and mandatory use of seatbelts, the annual rate of motor vehicle fatalities was much higher. By the 1930s in America, the automobile had been mass-produced for several decades and they were increasingly becoming more common and necessary for everyday life. Through this increase in use, an estimated 30,000 people died yearly in car accidents with numbers that were continuing to increase. It wasn’t until 1946 when, due to the recognition of the high number of head injuries that were appearing in the emergency rooms, Dr. C. Hunter Shelden, head of a neuro-science practice in California, created the idea for what would become the retractable seat belt. They soon become optional in Nash and Ford model cars in the forties and fifties, though it wasn’t until the 1960s when the U.S. government began to study the impact of seatbelt use that seat belt laws began being passed. By 1965, all fifty states had passed laws requiring seat belts in the front seats of automobiles and only two years later the laws included the back seat as well.

Technological Contributions to Car Safety

Since the initial seatbelt mandates there have been many technological advancements that have improved seatbelts and encouraged/reminded drivers to use them. Most seatbelts, whether lap, sash, three-point, or five-point belts, are now equipped with locking mechanisms, or inertia reels that tighten the belt when pulled fast but do not tighten when pulled slowly. In addition to this, pretensioners, which tight the belt to prevent the occupant from jerking forward in a crash, and webclamps, which clamp the webbing in the event of an accident and limit the distance that the webbing can spool out, are also used. Inflatable seatbelts, which increase the area of the restraint contacting the occupant and also shortens the length of the restraint to tighten the belt around the occupant, as well as automatic seatbelts that move in reverse to be secured whenever are vehicle is started are also used. Aside from seatbelts there have been other uses in technology that have been used to increase driving safety. Reminder chimes and audiovisual reminders have been included in cars since the seventies and the development of the airbag has been a safety precaution that has been added in addition to the seat belt. What I feel could be an additional precaution that may begin to be developed is the inability to drive when the engine is on with out a seatbelt though it does seem to infringe upon personal choice.

Social Support

Uses of technology have not been the sole aspect in dealing with driving safety, there are numerous social precautions used from educating young children while in school to taking driving courses as one prepares to test for their license and to strictly enforced laws upheld by police, who in the past couple years have increasingly been issuing tickets and fines to those drivers who do not wear their seat belts. Other forms of the social approach are found in advertisements in newspapers and magazines demonstrating the importance of buckling up and noting the amount of fines that one can be issued if they are pulled over without a belt. Television adds also use scare tactics and intimidation to encourage people to drive safely and use their belts. I also recall in elementary and high school attending several assemblies and classes where the sole focus was on car safety and seat belt and included mothers discussing their deceased children who had neglected to put their safety first. Though it seems that these methods are effective, I feel that the intimidation factor and the police presence within the safety messages in the media are not as effective and I think that messages that focus on people who have passed away and the affect on their loved ones is a better way to approach it. Also advertisements that address the common reasons for not wearing seatbelts such as “They’re uncomfortable”, “I’m only driving as short distance”, and “I’m afraid of being trapped in the car” would be very beneficial.

Overall, I feel that driving safety is incredibly important and that through the advancements in technology and an honest and responsible approach to car safety education, it is possible to increase the numbers of lives that are saved.

Available Information

For more information on driving safety and seat belt use you may look at the following links:

http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/seat_belts.html

http://ehs.okstate.edu/kopykit/seatbelt.htm

http://www.ehow.com/about_5333377_history-seatbelts.html

http://www.jmu.edu/safetyplan/vehicle/generaldriver/safetybelt.shtml