A car crash can occur at any moment, and it can take the life of anyone. In 2009 alone, crashes killed over 33,000 people and injured another 2.2 million. More than 70% of these crashes had occurred to passenger vehicles and trucks. About half of the 2.2 million wounded were not wearing a seat belt. Wearing a seat belt is the most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in a crash. Fortunately, seat belt use is on the rise. Several factors have increased seat belt use from 11% in 198, to nearly 85% in 2010. This has saved millions of lives. Yet, about 1 in every 7 people still don’t buckle up. Laws have played an enormous part in the increase of seatbelt usage, however certain states have yet to take part. Not wearing a seat belt should be illegal in all 50 states because wearing a seatbelt prevents drivers and passengers from being ejected from their vehicles, reduces the impact of an airbag, and it saves you money. Without a seat belt, drivers and passengers will get flung out of their vehicles. Seat belts protect passengers from a rollover accident. Over 75 percent of people who are ejected …show more content…
However, unlike seat belts, air bags are deadly by themselves and are only effective when they are used with seat belts. A 2.5-cubic-foot airbag inflates in as little as 20 to 30 milliseconds. Since there’s more space between the passenger and the dashboard, that airbag has a larger volume and takes more time to fill. The bad inflates at approximately 70 psi, which is slower than the person being ejected. A person will hit the steering wheel before the bag fully inflates. A seat belt constrains a driver or passenger well enough to reduce their impact with the airbag. Without the seat belt, the person can be unrestrained and can be seriously injured in a head-on collision. The seat belt holds the driver or front-seat passenger in place so they can be cushioned by the airbag and not hit the windshield or steering