Personal InjuryWhy Seat Belts Save Lives
The primary reason the seat belt saves lives has to do with the physics of mechanical forces produced during an accident. Sir Isaac Newton's first law states that an object in motion will tend to stay in motion. This is true of the human body as well as objects. Once a body and an automobile are both moving together at highway speeds, for example, of 55 miles per hour, a collision causing a sudden deceleration ahead in the vehicle will not immediately affect the continued motion of the human occupant inside, whose body will continue in the same direction at the same speed as it had been immediately prior to the accident. This means that, unless restrained, the human occupant will continue at 55 miles per hour into the steering wheel, dashboard, windshield or (if in the rear seat) into the seat back of the front seat or through the windshield (if no seat back is directly in front).
The injury potential during an accident rises dramatically once the occupant leaves his or her seat. And becomes ejected from the vehicle. For the driver, whose continued ability to control the vehicle may prevent further damage or injuries, becoming suddenly unrestrained prevents him or her from being able to maintain control over the vehicle, adding further injury potential to the accident sequence.
A secured lap belt prevents the occupant from leaving the seat, greatly reducing (but not eliminating) the potential for fatal and/or severe injuries.
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