Getting into a crash often serves as a physically, mentally and emotionally traumatizing experience. Over the years, many technologies have gotten introduced in the hopes that they will help cut back these traumas.
Amidst all of the newer safety technologies, how do seat belts stack up? Do they continue to provide needed assistance, or is the difference actually negligible in the end?
The injuries seat belts reduce
The National Library of Medicine takes a look at the lower rate of skull fractures associated with seat belts. In fact, they point out that seat belts to this day continue to have an impact on the rate of injuries in crashes, along with the severity of some. For example, wearing a seat belt can:
- Reduce skull fractures
- Reduce traumatic brain injury
- Reduce other injuries to the head, neck and face
Reduction in injury severity
Studies have shown that it slightly increases the risk of injury to the lower back, specifically the thoracic and coccyx areas. However, the same study also shows that the severity of injuries to this area ended up decreased on a whole thanks to seat belt use. In fact, 22.0 percent of victims not wearing seat belts suffered from a severe injury to the thoracic and coccyx areas of the back. On the other hand, those wearing seat belts only saw 4.2 percent of its crash victims suffering from this damage.
Victims wearing seat belts also spent less on medical costs, which is better for them financially and also shows more proof that seat belt wearers suffer from less damage, which generates fewer expenses. In these ways, it is easy to see how seat belts continue protecting lives even today.
