While most people know the importance of wearing a seatbelt to prevent injuries during a crash, seatbelts also help drivers maintain control and possibly avoid a collision. How does wearing a seatbelt help you control the vehicle? A seatbelt keeps you securely in your seat, allowing you to stay balanced and focused on steering and braking. 

To help you stay safe on the road, our team explains the connection between seatbelts, vehicle control, and preventing motor vehicle crashes.

Understanding Physical Forces During an Accident

When a car suddenly stops as it collides with an object, there is an impact force that transfers energy from the vehicle into whatever it hits. This object, whether another vehicle or a stationary object, either absorbs that energy or transfers it back to the car, often resulting in severe injuries, damage, or risk of death.

As this happens, your body continues to move in the direction and speed it was traveling, even when the car’s direction and speed change from the impact. A seatbelt restrains your body, stopping the inertia that would cause your body to be thrown against the vehicle’s interior.

A seatbelt also slows your body down while the vehicle’s crumple zone absorbs the kinetic energy or the energy generated from the car’s motion before the crash. It’s crucial to hold your body in position during all types of car accidents to reduce impact force on the body, prevent injuries, and maintain control.

How Seatbelts Enhance Vehicle Control

How does wearing a seatbelt help you control the vehicle? A seatbelt secures drivers to their seats during a collision or sudden avoidance maneuvers, preventing ejection or risk of injury from being thrown around the inside of the car. By staying in this position behind the wheel, drivers have better control of the brakes, steering, or other vehicle features.

Additionally, not worrying about their bodies shifting during a crash allows drivers to concentrate, applying their driving knowledge and skills to lessen the impact or prevent the collision altogether. If a driver is wearing their seatbelt, they can also focus on regaining control of the vehicle quickly.

The Dynamics of Crash Forces

Using the impact force formula, the more mass or velocity the vehicle has, the more force generated during a collision. In other words, heavier and faster-moving cars can cause catastrophic accidents. This is why a seatbelt is important.

Modern seat belts — with shoulder belts, lap belts, and locking mechanisms — are designed to distribute force evenly across the body. Using a three-point design, the impact force from a collision is spread over the strong and bony parts of the body: the shoulder, chest, and pelvis.

Seatbelts also work in conjunction with airbags to reduce the chance of injuries by cushioning the body. However, you must wear your seatbelt correctly to make airbags most effective. Without a seatbelt, your body will be moving toward the airbags as they deploy, which can cause injuries.

Legal Regulations and Seatbelt Compliance

In many states, primary seat belt laws allow police officers to stop drivers and passengers who are not wearing their seatbelts and issue citations. However, some states have secondary seat belt laws that only allow law enforcement to write a ticket for failing to wear a seatbelt if they are stopped for another traffic violation.

While seatbelt laws vary by state, common penalties for non-compliance may include:

• Fines
• Community service
• Traffic school
• Driving record points

Studies show that primary seat belt laws are more effective than secondary laws at increasing seatbelt use. Giving police the authority to enforce these laws motivates more drivers and passengers to wear seatbelts while traveling in a vehicle.

The Importance of Seatbelts in Driver and Passenger Responsibility

Being a responsible driver starts with buckling up and encouraging others to wear their seatbelts. Because seatbelts significantly reduce the risk of injuries and fatalities from motor vehicle accidents, it’s worth it to make it a habit. Put on your seatbelt no matter how short the trip is or how slowly you’re driving.

If you have passengers in your car, remind them to wear their seatbelts. While this keeps them safe, it also means you won’t face legal penalties for driving with occupants who are not wearing their safety belts. In many states, you and the unbuckled passenger can receive citations.

Common Misconceptions About Seatbelts

Although law enforcement and vehicle safety organizations promote the importance of seatbelt safety, some people still misunderstand their purpose and effectiveness. Here are common misconceptions about seatbelts.

Seatbelts Are Only for Long Journeys

The first thing you should do when you get in your car is buckle your seatbelt. Even if you only drive down the block or are simply sitting in your car, seatbelts lower the risk of injury and losing control of the vehicle in the event of a crash.

A lot can happen in a short distance, and wearing a seatbelt means you’re doing your part to stay safe. It could mean the difference between a severe multi-injury crash and a no-injury auto accident.

Airbags Are Enough Without Seatbelts

Airbags work with seatbelts to keep vehicle occupants safe during motor vehicle crashes. However, airbags can be dangerous on their own if you’re not wearing a seatbelt. Without the seatbelt holding you down, you may be in the wrong position when the airbag deploys, causing fractures, burns, and other serious injuries.

Data and Statistics: Seatbelts Save Lives

Before seatbelt laws were enforced in the 1980s, less than 35 percent of drivers regularly wore seatbelts. Since then, seatbelt use has improved substantially, with the national average use rate above 91 percent.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seatbelts are the single most important factor in preventing or reducing traffic crash injuries in drivers and passengers. Wearing a seatbelt lowers the risk of:

• Fatal injuries in passenger cars by 45 percent
• Moderate to critical injuries in passenger cars by 50 percent
• Fatal injuries in light trucks by 60 percent
• Moderate to critical injuries in light trucks by 65 percent

Between 1975 and 2017, it’s estimated that seatbelts have saved over 374,000 lives in the United States. However, 61 percent of vehicle occupant deaths between the ages of 25-35 were connected to lack of seatbelt use. Encouraging seatbelt usage in this age group can significantly improve fatality rates.

Promoting a Culture of Responsibility

Young drivers often question, “Why are seat belts important?” You should talk to your kids about the common causes of teen driving accidents and the significance of wearing a seatbelt. Explain that seatbelts not only prevent injuries but also help maintain control of the vehicle during an accident.

It’s essential to set a good example for children and young drivers as well. If you wear your seatbelt during every trip, they’ll see that seatbelt safety is part of the driving experience and are more likely to wear their own seatbelts as passengers or when they get behind the wheel.

The Critical Role of Seatbelts in Safety and Control

Wearing your seatbelt consistently improves driver and passenger safety in more ways than one. It lowers the risk of serious or fatal injuries by securing you to your seat and preventing ejection. However, it also helps drivers stay in control of the vehicle before, during, and after a crash, which can reduce the accident’s severity.

If you were injured in a car crash, speak with an experienced car accident lawyer to learn about your rights and legal options. At Morris & Dewett Injury Lawyers, we can help you seek justice and claim the compensation you deserve. Schedule your free consultation with our team today.

FAQs

What Are the Benefits of Wearing Your Seatbelt?

Wearing a seatbelt helps you avoid being injured in a car accident while staying in control of the vehicle. Because the seatbelt holds your body in the seat, it’s less likely that you’ll be thrown against the inside of the car or completely ejected from the vehicle. You’ll also have control over the steering wheel and brakes when the seatbelt maintains your position.

How Do Safety Belts Help a Driver Control the Vehicle?

Drivers who are secured in their seats have the ability to control the vehicle during an accident because they are kept in place by the seatbelt. They don’t have to brace or tense their bodies to stay behind the wheel. Instead, the seatbelt holds them down so they are free to brake, steer, and perform evasive maneuvers.

What Three Main Things Does a Seatbelt Do for You?

A seatbelt performs several functions to keep vehicle occupants safe during a crash, including:

• Protecting drivers and passengers from impact or ejection injuries
• Helping drivers maintain control of the vehicle
• Distributing the impact force more evenly across the body

What Is the Function of the Seatbelt in a Car?

The function of a car’s safety belt is to reduce the risk of injury and death from a motor vehicle crash. It does this by securing the occupants to their seats, spreading the impact force across stronger parts of the body, and allowing drivers to stay in control of the vehicle.