We all know that seatbelts are designed as a safety harness to prevent or reduce injuries and the risk from being thrown out of the vehicle during a crash. Even though wearing your seat belts does not take much of an effort to do so, most of us are certainly guilty of not fastening it and thinking that it is not much of a big deal. Apart from risking our safety on the road, a fine of $120 will be imposed for drivers or passengers who are caught not wearing their seatbelts.
Putting the thought of getting caught and paying fines for not wearing seatbelts aside, what can be more important than your safety? According to The Straits Times, passengers sitting at the rear seats are 45% more prone to sustain severe injuries compared to the front-seat passenger and driver. This may be due to the misconception that sitting at the back faces lesser safety risks compared to the ones in the front of the car, hence the act of not buckling up by most rear passengers.
However, sitting in the rear seats does not mean that you are safer than the ones in the front seats. In cases of crashes, unbelted passengers tend to become projectiles being thrown forward. This threatens one’s life especially without the presence of airbags that are provided for the front seat passenger and driver. Unlike fastening your seatbelt, you will be restrained to your seat where it minimizes the chances of being thrown forward and suffering from severe injuries. Additionally, the passenger at the front seat and driver may react faster and instinctively during a crash to reduce chances of injury. As rear seat passengers are less aware of the road situation, they naturally have lesser reaction time during crashes that usually happens in a split second.
Not only unbelted passengers sitting at the rear seats face a higher safety risk, they are in turn the biggest threat posed to the driver and front-seat passenger. During a car crash, a rear passenger is thrown forward with sufficient force to crush the driver or front passenger fatally. Certainly, the heavier the rear passenger, the greater the force will be exerted hence a higher level of damage caused.
Seatbelts are the most basic safety component of every vehicle, yet we choose to ignore its existence for our temporary comfort or laziness. It is essentially crucial for us to realize that our minimal effort of buckling up can save our lives or lessen the possible injuries during collisions, for both the front and rear seats. Prevention is better than cure; practising safety measures should not be forgotten. With that, MoneyMax Leasing wishes you a safe journey on the roads and do not forget about this simple “click” that may save your life.
