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Here Are Questions Many People Ask
About Safety Belts
--
and the Answers
e.'
Won't I be trapped in the vehicle after an
accident if I'm wearing a safety belt?
A:
You
coucld
be
--
whether you're wearing a safety
belt or not. But you can unbuckle a safety belt,
even if you're upside down.
And
your chance of
being conscious during and after an accident, so
you can unbuckle and get out, is much greater if
you are belted.
e.'
If my vehicle has air
bags, why should
I have to
wear safety belts?
e.'
If I'm a good drwer, and I never drive far from
home, why should I wear safety belts?
A:
You may
be an
excellent driver, but if you're in an
accident
--
even one that isn't your fault
--
you and
your passengers can be hurt. Being a good driver
doesn't protect you from things beyond your
control, such as b'ad drivers.
Most accidents occur within 25 miles (40
k m )
of
home. And the greatest number of serious injuries
and
deaths occur at speeds of less than
40
mph
(65
km/h).
Safety belts are for everyone.
A:
Air bags are in many vehicles today and will be in
most of them in the future. But they are
supplemental systems only; so they work with
safety belts
--
not instead of them. Every air bag
system ever offered for
sale has
required the use of
safety belts. Even if you're in a vehicle that has
a i r
bags, you still have to buckle up to get the most
protection. That's true not only in frontal collisions,
but especially in side and other collisions.
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