Advantages of using a Seat Belt

Few people enjoy wearing their seat belts. Some find them constricting while others just hate wearing them because it is required by law. Despite the advantages of using a seat belt, as many as 25 percent of drivers and passengers refuse to wear them for whatever reason. Luckily, more and more people are listening to the statistics and realizing their need to use this lifesaving device.

Lifesavers
The main advantage of using a seat belt is that it could save your live in a collision or some other form of accident. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more than 9,000 lives were saved each year as a result of using seat belts. In 2006 alone, more than 15,000 lives were saved because they were wearing their seat belt.

Tickets
Many drivers simply wear their seat belt to avoid getting a ticket. Although there are no points assessed to a driver's license for not wearing a seat belt, tickets can range from $10 to $250 for a first offense, depending on the state in which you receive the ticket. The laws for using seat belts are different state by state. In some states like California, Kentucky and Delaware, adult passengers in the back seat may receive tickets for not wearing their seat belt. In some states, this is a primary offense, which means that a police officer may pull over the vehicle solely for this offense. In states where the seat belt laws are secondary, an officer may only pull over a vehicle for another offense before issuing a ticket for failure to wear a seat belt.

Reduce Injury
In minor collisions, seat belt usage has proven to reduce the potential injury to drivers and passengers. When you are in a vehicle involved in a minor collision, your body can be thrust forward, causing your head to hit the dashboard or windshield. With a seat belt, however, your body is restrained to prevent this from happening. According to reports from the NHTSA, using a seat belt reduces your risk of injury in minor accidents by as much as 50 percent.

Setting an Example
If you are a parent, wearing your seat belt sets a good example for your children or younger drivers in your household. Children learn many of their behaviors by example and when you make a habit of putting your seat belt on when you get behind the wheel, they are more likely to do the same when they are driving.

Lower Medical Costs
According to the NHTSA, people who were wearing their seat belts during a collision pay about 60 percent less in medical bills than people who were not wearing their seat belts.

History of Seat Belt

The seat belt was first invented in the 1800s by George Cayley. A patent (United States Patent #312,085) was obtained by Edward J. Claghorn of New York, on February 10, 1885 for a Safety-Belt for tourists. He described it as being "designed to be applied to the person, and provided with hooks and other attachments for securing the person to a fixed object," namely, a ladder or pole.
Volvo incorporated the safety belt in their car (the first company to do so) in 1849.
Ford Motor Company was the first to have a designed safety belt. Edward Hock invented this design while on active duty in the military as a flight instructor. He was awarded $20.50, a picture, a newspaper article and a letter of recognition for his original blueprint (he used parachute strapping in his schematics) in 1955.
Nils Bohlin of Sweden introduced the lap-and-shoulder belt (now a modern standard safety device) via Volvo in 1959.
From 1964-1968, most US cars came with front only seat belts; after that, rear restraints were the standard.
1956: 2-Point Seat Belt (Volvo): A restraint system with two attachment points (a lap belt)1959: 3-Point Seat Belt (Volvo): A seat belt with both a lap and a shoulder portion, having three attachment points (one shoulder, two hips).1964: Lap Belt (standard in US cars): A seat belt anchored at two points, for use across the thighs/hipsLap/Shoulder Belt (combination belt): A seat belt that is anchored at three points and restrains the occupant at the hips and across the shoulder
The first child car seats were invented in 1921. In 1978, Tennessee became the first American State to require child safety seat use.
In 1983, there was a study done requiring drivers and passengers to wear seat belts at all times for a three year trial period; in 1986, both the House and the Senate voted to maintain this requirement after the trial. January of 2003 marked the 20th anniversary of this requirement and the 50,000 mark for recorded lives saved.