Hi this is Mark Thush, I’m an accident attorney practicing personal injury law here in Florida. In today’s video we’ll discuss 6 common Myths’ that wearing a seat belt saves lives.
Myth No. 1: If your car has airbags you don’t need a seat belt.
Answer: Air bags are designed to protect a buckled occupant. When unbuckled, airbags become less effective or worse, they can become deadly themselves.
Myth No. 2: Your seat belt can hurt you in a crash.
Answer: In a crash, everything in your car can cause you harm – your seatbelt is one of the few things that can actually save you.
Myth No. 3: Seat belts can trap you if you’re in a fire or underwater.
Answer: Accidents involving fire or water account for less than one-half of one-percent of all crashes. But more importantly, you can’t escape such dangers unless you’re conscious. Wearing a seat belt gives you a much greater chance of being conscious thus allowing you to free yourself.
Myth No. 4: Just being in a truck makes you safer than everyone else.
Answer: If you’re traveling in an SUV, Pickup or Van, wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent.
Myth No. 5: If you’re not going far or traveling fast seatbelt’s aren’t necessary.
Answer: Routine trips can be deceptively dangerous. Most fatal crashes happen within 25 miles from your home and at speeds of less than 40 mph.
Myth No. 6: This one’s my favorites – It’s not essential for guys to wear seatbelts; since they’re much better drivers.
Answer: FALSE – Young men are most at risk. 66% of men ages 18-34, who were killed in fatal crashes, were not wearing a seat belt – that’s the highest of any age group.
So what’s the answer? My car does not move until everyone puts on his or her seat belt. In my family, wearing a seat belt has become a tradition and we simply don’t leave the driveway unless everyone is buckled up. It takes like 2 seconds to buckle your seat belt and the life you save might be you’re own, a loved one or an innocent passenger in you car.
If you have a question about an auto accident that you or a family member was involved in – pick up the phone and call me. I can answer your legal questions. You can reach me at 407-862-2767 or by email that’s mark@thushlaw.com. I promise to give you a straight-forward honest and personal answer. That’s my guarantee.
I’m Mark Thush, thanks for watching, have a great day and I’ll see you soon!
Hi. Today I was in car accident and my seat belt unbuckled. Is it normal for your seat to unbuckle when you in car crash?
Mark, thanks for your article. Although I agree with most of what you said, I would like to know what references you used for your statements.
Finally, because the seatbelt has a lock mechanism in it, in an accident the force of the person pushing against it can lock it and make it difficult to impossible to unlatch, especially if there are injuries. I’ve been researching this question because a neighbor recently fell asleep and hit some boulders all at a moderate speed, thankfully. The car rolled onto the driver’s side and the airbag deployed then deflated. The neighbor had only a very minor injury. but the seatbelt had locked making the seatbelt so tight it could not be released. If there had been a fire it would have been tragic. Other drivers stopped and gave assistance. In an instance similar to this, should we carry a cutting tool of some sort placed where we have a hope of reaching it in order to cut the seatbelt?