The Importance of Seat Belts

seat beltA seat belt is a vital safety feature that can save your life and protect you from serious injury in the event of a traffic crash. However, motorists who wear seat belts may still experience accidents. It is these individuals who can benefit from the services of a personal injury attorney in Tampa.

A History of Vehicle Safety

The concept of restraining occupants in vehicles for the purpose of protecting them dates to the last century. Seat belts began to appear in American automobiles in the 1950s, becoming a requirement in the late 1960s. They are today supplemented by a number of other safety features, including:

•Head restraints
•Laminated glass
•Collapsible steering columns
•Side beams
•Air bags

The general consensus among safety experts is that seat beats make the other safety features more effective. Official studies have shown that seat belts have reduced the risk of death in car crashes by some 50 percent, saving more than 60,000 lives in the United States during a five-year period starting in 2010. Laws requiring the use of seat belts were first enacted in the 1980s and are today in effect almost everywhere in the country.

How Seat Belts Work

The major risk in traffic accidents involves occupants being thrown against something inside the vehicle or being tossed completely out of the vehicle. Lap belts and related shoulder straps prevent this by restraining the largest and most durable portions of the body and also by “spreading out” the force of a crash. The concern about being trapped in a flaming or submerged vehicle is largely unfounded, especially when considering that a seat belt can keep occupants conscious and thus facilitate their egress from a vehicle that is on fire or is sinking.

Legal Assistance for the Victims of Traffic Crashes

Drivers and all of their passengers should buckle their seat belts at the beginning of every drive. In the event of an accident that may not be your fault, you should consider seeking help from a personal injury attorney in Tampa, who can help you obtain the compensation that you may need and deserve. You can find this type of assistance from the law firm of Wagner, McLaughlin & Whittemore.