preview

Seatbelts Essay

Decent Essays

The invention of automobiles is definitely a groundbreaking and impactful technology in the society. The convenience it has brought to the lives of the public cannot be overestimated. Nevertheless, the disadvantages of this invention is proportional to its advantages. Many deaths have occurred as a result of automobile accidents (CDC, 2015). During head-on-collisions, there is a high possibility of unrestrained passengers bumping their heads and chest with steering wheels or being ejected through the windscreen of the vehicle, thus, resulting in severe injuries or death (Nordhoff 2005b). The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) recorded about 51100 automobile-related deaths in 1979 with ejection from the vehicle being one of the leading …show more content…

However, the use of seatbelt has contributed significantly in lowering death rates in automobile crashes, reducing the risk of death and serious injury by 50% (NHTSA, 2010). Seatbelts have been present in cars since the 1950s, but a large number of vehicle drivers did not use it while driving (Prevention Institute, 2002). Insurance companies such as Allstate and government agencies conducted interventions to educate the public about the consequences of not using seatbelts (Dinh-Zarr et.al. 2001). However, the awareness campaigns did not yield the complete desired results of all passengers in vehicles using seat belts.
As a result of the huge public health and safety issues that arose from the use of vehicles, in 1968, the government and policymakers enacted laws that enforce the use of seatbelts in order to mitigate the dangers associated with car accidents. Despite the good intentions of the government in ensuring public safety, there were many oppositions to the enforcement of seat belts (Dinh-Zarr et.al. 2001). Many of the oppositions were based on the beliefs that the use of seatbelts was not effective in preventing car accident injuries. Many also reported that using seatbelt was uncomfortable (Morelock et.al.

Get Access