Many people have differing views on whether to wear a seat belt while inside a vehicle. However, you certainly know that a seat belt can offer protection in the event that a car accident takes place. As a driver, you may need to remind your passengers to buckle up to ensure that they remain as safe as possible while you travel together.
Of course, some people find seat belts uncomfortable or mistakenly believe that they have the potential to cause more harm than good. Nonetheless, seat belt use has its importance, and law also requires individuals to use proper restraints while traveling. Otherwise, fines or other penalties could come about.
Seat belt benefits
A seat belt works to keep your body in place should a sudden event like unexpected braking or a collision take place. Without this restraint, you or your passengers could be ejected from the vehicle and suffer injuries to themselves and to others in the process. Even if a person remains inside the vehicle, serious injuries could still result from a lack of seat belt as the following actions could harm you or someone else:
- Striking the windshield
- Hitting the steering wheel
- Slamming into other objects or people in the vehicle
Because your body or the body of a passenger could easily become a projectile, a lack of restraint could result in you or someone else turning into a serious hazard.
Relation to air bags
Some parties may believe that air bags will protect them from striking hard objects while inside the car, and therefore, seat belts are not necessary. However, air bags typically deploy in a manner intended to protect individuals in certain positions. If you do not wear a seat belt, your body may move out of the position that would allow an air bag to best protect you.
Seat belt use and compensation
Though the possibility still exists that you could suffer serious injuries while wearing a seat belt, your risk of even more severe or fatal injuries decreases considerably when compared to not wearing a seat belt. Additionally, if another driver causes an accident that results in your serious injury and you choose to pursue compensation, the amount of damages recovered may decrease if you did not have on a seat belt at the time of the crash. Therefore, you may wish to determine how the circumstances of your accident may affect your case.