Seatbelt Safety
They say that when you fall from a great height, it isn’t the fall itself that kills you but rather the impact from the sudden stop when you hit the ground; this philosophy is pretty much the same for a car crash. When your vehicle hits an immovable object at a high speed, it will decelerate rapidly – at about the speed at which you blink. When this happens, you’ll hope that your seatbelt helps to bring you to a stop… but it only works if you’re strapped in. Otherwise, there’s a good chance you’re not living to tell the tale.
Protecting Yourself:
Modern vehicles are designed with multiple safety features that work together to give you the best chance of survival in a collision. These include your seatbelt, your headrest, your airbag, and the crumple zone on your vehicle among several other important features. However, they don’t work as well in isolation from each other, and the risk of serious injury or death is increased with each feature not properly used. Taking the extra minute at the beginning of each journey to check these features is not only good practice, it also helps to promote safer driving across the Cayman Islands.
In this iteration of our blog series for the National Road Safety Cayman campaign, we’re here to bust myths about wearing your seatbelt and to encourage you to buckle up each time you get in a car, regardless of the seat you’re in. Remember: Smart buckles up. Reckless risks it.
Busting the Myths About Seatbelts
Myth #1: I already have an airbag, why do I need to put on my seatbelt?
BUSTED: Airbags are one of the many safety features installed in vehicles – however, they are designed to provide protection in a frontal, head-on collision. They won’t do much in a side on, rear impact, or rollover crash, which your seatbelt otherwise would. Even in a front-on collision, occupants in the front seats of a vehicle risk slipping beneath the airbag if they are not secured appropriately.
Myth #2: Isn’t it better to be thrown clear in a collision?
BUSTED: The odds of landing somewhere soft or cushioned after being thrown clear of your vehicle in a collision are extremely low. You are more likely than not to be thrown through your windshield, landing on concrete or asphalt, or into another vehicle or other immovable object. Although you might suffer superficial cuts and bruises by strapping in, you are more likely to suffer life-changing or fatal injuries if ejected from the car.
Myth #3: I don’t need my seatbelt because I’m not going that far and not driving fast.
BUSTED: Regardless of how far or fast you are going, you can’t account for those on the road around you. Even if you are driving safely, your seatbelt helps to protect you if someone else crashes into you. You never know what might happen. Play it safe. Buckle up every trip, every time.
Other Key Safety Features:
Earlier, we mentioned several other important safety features installed in your vehicle to help reduce the severity of the injuries you might suffer in a collision. Here, we’ll briefly outline them:
❖ Headrests: A properly adjusted headrest in your vehicle helps to reduce your risk of serious whiplash by restricting the backward motion of your head and neck in a rear-end collision.
❖ Airbags: Ensuring your air bags are installed and functioning is important. They help to cushion you and are deployed in a high-impact collision. Your car service provider should be able to check this for you.
❖ Car Crumple Zone: You may have heard it sometimes said that the bigger car always comes out on top – and that isn’t just to do with the size of the vehicle alone. Bigger vehicles generally have more crumple zone – that is, the amount of vehicle that crumples in a collision, thereby absorbing a significant portion of the impact.
When it comes down to it, the real question is whether the few seconds that you save by not putting on your seatbelt is worth the risk of suffering life-changing injuries in a collision. Improving road safety in Cayman starts and ends with every individual getting in and out of a vehicle making the right decisions. Next time you’re in a car, remember that Smart buckles up. Reckless risks it. Visit our website: www.gov.ky/roadsafety for more information about staying safe on the road.
Myth #2: Isn’t it better to be thrown clear in a collision?
BUSTED: The odds of landing somewhere soft or cushioned after being thrown clear of your vehicle in a collision are extremely low. You are more likely than not to be thrown through your windshield, landing on concrete or asphalt, or into another vehicle or other immovable object. Although you might suffer superficial cuts and bruises by strapping in, you are more likely to suffer life-changing or fatal injuries if ejected from the car.
Myth #3: I don’t need my seatbelt because I’m not going that far and not driving fast.
BUSTED: Regardless of how far or fast you are going, you can’t account for those on the road around you. Even if you are driving safely, your seatbelt helps to protect you if someone else crashes into you. You never know what might happen. Play it safe. Buckle up every trip, every time.
Other Key Safety Features:
Earlier, we mentioned several other important safety features installed in your vehicle to help reduce the severity of the injuries you might suffer in a collision. Here, we’ll briefly outline them:
❖ Headrests: A properly adjusted headrest in your vehicle helps to reduce your risk of serious whiplash by restricting the backward motion of your head and neck in a rear-end collision.
❖ Airbags: Ensuring your air bags are installed and functioning is important. They help to cushion you and are deployed in a high-impact collision. Your car service provider should be able to check this for you.
❖ Car Crumple Zone: You may have heard it sometimes said that the bigger car always comes out on top – and that isn’t just to do with the size of the vehicle alone. Bigger vehicles generally have more crumple zone – that is, the amount of vehicle that crumples in a collision, thereby absorbing a significant portion of the impact.
When it comes down to it, the real question is whether the few seconds that you save by not putting on your seatbelt is worth the risk of suffering life-changing injuries in a collision. Improving road safety in Cayman starts and ends with every individual getting in and out of a vehicle making the right decisions. Next time you’re in a car, remember that Smart buckles up. Reckless risks it. Visit our website: www.gov.ky/roadsafety for more information about staying safe on the road.
