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Wearing Seatbelts In Australia

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The issue of ‘should seatbelts be compulsory fittings for all cars’ is a problem debated among Australians. A seatbelt is a belt or strap that is used to secure a person into a seat of a car, airplane, bus, etc. The seatbelt secures around the waist or diagonally across the midsection of the person. In 2013, 20% or 150 people killed in crashes were not wearing any form of seatbelts.

Graph 1: Vehicle occupants killed that were unbelted in metro and rural area.

Arguments for
Newtons first law of motion states that ‘An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. ("Newton's First Law") In this situation, when a car crashes into an …show more content…

Wearing a seatbelt during an accident can cause external and internal injuries. When driving at 60km/h and the car comes to a sudden stop it can cause many injuries. Injuries sustained in a car accident when wearing a lap belt are internal injuries to the abdomen and spinal cord. Shoulder belts may cause shoulder, neck and sternum injuries. External injuries may include bruising, swelling, skin discolouration and cuts to the skin.

The majority of seatbelts are 3 points but should all cars be manufactured 5-point with safer seatbelts like a 5-point or 6-point harness. The straps of these harness are thicker and should be worn tightly against the body. The harnesses are safer because it spreads the Force of the crash over the stronger parts of the body such as the rib cage, pelvis and …show more content…

Car safety will need to be improved to keep up with the pace of technology. Currently in America some cars are fitted with automatic seatbelts that click into place when the key is put into the ignition. The engine wont start unless the seatbelts are secured. This could be used in Australia to ensure seatbelts are being worn at all times. Ford are currently creating inflatable seatbelts so when the car senses a crash the seat belt fills with air creating more protection for the passengers. Although there are no new laws being discussed in Australia, different American states have decided to enforce the laws that drivers, passengers in the front seat and children under the age of 16 have to wear seatbelts.

I believe that wearing seatbelts should be compulsory throughout the world. After observing all the facts, it is clear that wearing a seatbelt would be more beneficial, less fatal and less fatalities. In accordance with Newtons laws of motion, seatbelts act as an unbalanced force in order to bring a person to rest whilst reducing the force that acts upon the person by increasing the time for

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