Military aircraft mechanics are fond of asking a trick question; "What is the primary purpose of an ejection seat?" The answer: to provide a place for the pilot to sit. The secondary purpose, hopefully never used, is to provide a fast, safe means of escape from a crippled aircraft. While cars don't have ejection seats, the car's seat is, never the less, a very important piece of safety equipment. Most drivers tend to think of the car seat in terms of comfort and appearance while ignoring the fact that the seat is a critical piece of safety equipment in a crash.

The most common type of crash on America's roadways is the rear- end crash and the most common injuries drivers experience from that type of crash are whiplash and spinal injuries. The reason for this is simple. One of the laws of motion says "an object at rest wants to remain at rest." While sitting in a car seat, your body wants to remain at rest. If you are struck from behind by another vehicle, your body will want to remain at rest while the car is rapidly pushed out underneath it. If your seat isn't properly positioned, your body will snap back, followed by your head. This rapid snapping back of the spine and neck is what causes all the back injuries. Those of you who may have experienced this type of injury know that you don't really start to feel the muscles tense up and the associated pain until the next day. If it goes untreated, the trauma can cause long term and sometimes permanent injury.

The seats position and its ability to remain upright in a crash, is so important that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (the folks with the crash test dummies) actually test the seat separately from the car. They remove the seat from the car, put it on the track and simulate a rear end crash to see how well the dummy fares in a crash. You can see how these tests are conducted at: http://www.iihs.org/ratings/head_restraints/head_restraint_info.html. You can also look up the seat's ratings for your particular vehicle.

Too many people now days tend to place the reclining seat slightly back and drive in a slightly reclined position. While it may be relaxing, this is a very dangerous practice. The further back the seat, the greater distance your body will be stretched backwards in a crash. To provide the greatest protection, your seat should be in the full upright position with the headrest just barely touching the back of your head. In this position, your body will be protected by the seat and prevented from snapping back so violently in a rear-end collision.

The other advantage of placing the seat in a full upright position is to help keep you alert on long trips. Leaning the seat back may be more relaxing but it can be too relaxing, allowing you to become drowsy on long trips. To take full advantage of all the safety features in the vehicle, you should adjust the seat's position so that your body is a minimum of ten inches from the airbag. Your seat belt should be fastened with the lap belt low over your hips and the shoulder harness crossing the center of the chest and centered over the shoulder. Never drive with the shoulder harness behind you. If the shoulder harness doesn't fit properly, you can adjust the position where it attaches to the car's frame. If your car doesn’t have a shoulder harness adjustment mechanism, you can purchase a shoulder harness adjustment fitting for a very low price at your local auto parts store.

Labels: air bags, car seats, driver safey, driver training, seat belt, seat belt law, seat belt safety

Driving school instructors hear the question all the time; isn't it dangerous for a pregnant woman to wear a seat belt? The feeling is that the belt itself, being so tight and close to the unborn baby, could cause more harm than not wearing a seat belt at all. The answer is that, no matter what, wearing a seat belt is always the safest possible thing a mother can do. Both the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) and the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) agree that pregnant women should always wear seat belts.

To fully answer the question, one has to consider the alternative to wearing a seat belt. It's a simple matter of physics. In a crash, the unbelted occupants of a car will continue to travel at the speed the car was traveling at the point of impact. Even in a low speed crash, the bodies traveling forward and striking objects in front can do a tremendous amount of damage. A small woman who weighs 130 pounds, with the combined weight of her developing baby, striking the steering wheel or dashboard at 25 mph will experience a crash force of almost 3,000 pounds. That is going to do far more damage to your unborn baby than the seat belt.

Future mothers should also consider the possibility that, if unbelted, they could be ejected from the vehicle; striking the roadway with a tremendous amount of force and then, face the possibility of being struck by another vehicle. No matter how bad the crash, vehicle occupants are always better off restrained within the vehicle.

www.FamilyDoctor.org, the official website of the AAFP, offers the following advice:

How should I wear my seat belt?

The seat belt should be a 3-point restraint. That means it should have a lap strap and a shoulder strap. Lap and shoulder belts keep you from being thrown from the car during an accident. The shoulder strap also keeps the pressure of your body off of the baby after a crash.

Be sure to wear your seat belt correctly. The lap strap should go under your belly, across your hips and as high as possible on your thighs. The shoulder strap should go between your breasts and off to the side of your belly. Seat belt straps should never go directly across your stomach. The seat belt should fit snugly. If possible, adjust the height of the shoulder strap so that it fits you correctly.

What about air bags?

Most experts agree that air bags are safe and can protect pregnant women from head injury. The air bags in your car should not be turned off when you are pregnant. To be safe, you should move the seat back as far as possible and tilt the seat to get some distance between your belly and the steering wheel or dashboard.

Air bags are not a substitute for a seat belt, so always wear your seat belt even if your car has air bags.

Where should I sit if I'm a passenger?

Where a mother sits has not been shown to affect the safety of an unborn baby in a crash. However, if you are not driving, you should sit in the back seat. Injuries from car crashes tend to be less serious in people who are sitting in the back seat. It is still important to wear a seat belt.

What should I do if I am in a car crash?

You should get treatment right away, even if you think you are not hurt. Most injuries to the baby happen within a few hours after a crash. Your doctor needs to check you and your baby as soon as possible after a crash, especially if you are more than 6 months pregnant.

Labels: driver safety, seat belt, seat belt safety

Sunshine State Looks to Improve Seat Belt Usage Rate

Florida state officials are already beefing up compliance with a new seat belt law that does not go into effect until June 30.

Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill May 6 that permits law enforcement to pull over a passenger vehicle if officers observe the driver or front seat passenger not wearing their seat belt. It replaces the current law, which allows officers to give tickets for not wearing a seat belt only after pulling over a driver for a separate offense, like speeding or a broken tail light.

Promoting even more seat belt awareness, the state's Click It Or Ticket campaign kicked off on Monday and runs through May 31.

While the two-week safety campaign is in effect, state and local police agencies are carrying out public awareness efforts and workshops to improve seat belt use rates and conduct training on child passenger safety and safety seat installation.

"The proper use of a safety belt is the single most important action one can take to increase the chances of surviving a vehicle crash," said Sgt. Chris Gonzalez, with the Collier County Sheriff's Office Traffic Safety Enforcement Bureau. "The Collier County Sheriff's Office is asking that every driver make certain all front and back seat passengers are properly buckled up. A simple click can be the difference between life and death."

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, at 92 percent, the seat belt compliance rate for Collier County is the highest in the state. In 2008, statewide seat belt usage was 79.1 percent, making it No. 35 in the nation and below the national average of 83 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The five states with the highest of seat belt use rates have primary enforcement laws like the one just passed in Florida.

One Naples resident, Tom Contento, 55, is pleased with the law's passage.

"[My children's] safety is my biggest concern," said Contento. "I think safety is more important [than questions about personal freedom]."

A woman vacationing in Naples said it is a law that works well in her home state of Connecticut, where the seat belt usage rate was 88 percent in 2008.

"I don't have a problem with it being a law," said Lisa Masoud, 45. "They do spot checks every once in a while. It works pretty well. I think one of the reasons they do it is they can be funded by the federal government."

When Florida's new law goes into effect, the state will receive a $35 million federal grant allocated to states with primary enforcement laws. That money can be used to fund road projects.

The lure of that funding helped pass the bill this year after it died in at least seven consecutive earlier sessions. The state House of Representatives approved the bill by a 95-20 vote. It passed in the Senate by 33-4.

Did you know that courses are available to educate drivers on the rules of the road and the latest defensive driving techniques? Try one now!

Labels: child safety seat, florida traffic laws, seat belt, seat belt law, seat belt safety, teen seat belt use

"Click It or Ticket" Nationwide Seat Belt Enforcement Campaign Kicked Off on May 18

Recently, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released a study estimating that 1,652 lives could be saved and 22,372 serious injuries could be avoided annually on America's roads if the rate of seat belt use improved to 90 percent in all 50 states. Basing their report on 2007 data, the DOT also estimates that seat belts saved an astonishing 15,147 lives in 2007. The study's release coincided with the Department's launch of its "Click It or Ticket" nationwide enforcement campaign on May 18.

"Wearing a seat belt costs nothing and yet it's the single most effective traffic safety device ever invented," said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. "We want to let the American people know that by failing to wear your seat belt, you not only risk serious injury or death, you also risk getting a ticket."

From May 18 to May 31, the "Click It or Ticket" campaign will be in effect. Involving more than 10,000 police agencies, the mobilization is supported by $8 million in national advertising funds allocated by Congress and coordinated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The ads, airing in English and Spanish, promote awareness of the intensified enforcement efforts and the increased chance of receiving a ticket if you are not wearing a seat belt. The commercial spots are aired on television, radio, and the Internet.

The NHTSA's National Occupant Protection Use Survey estimates that the national seat belt use rate remained steady at 83 percent in 2008. Yet one of five Americans still does not buckle up regularly.

Secretary LaHood, in a speech before students at a suburban Virginia high school, noted the worrisome reality that seat belt use rates are comparatively low among teenagers. Of the 4,540 16-to-20 year old passenger vehicle occupants who perished in 2007, 2,502 were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash. Teen belt use rates are particularly low at night. Almost two-thirds (65 percent) of the 16-to-20 year olds killed in nighttime crashes in 2007 were not wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.

"Young people often think they’re invincible. Yet like everyone in a passenger vehicle, they're tremendously vulnerable in the event of a crash," Secretary LaHood said.

Along with motor vehicle safety, driver education helps ensure the safety of Americans. Whether you're getting your Commercial Drivers License, your Learner's Permit, or your Motorcycle License, America's Driver's License Headquarters is TestQuestionsandAnswers.com.

Labels: click it or ticket, safety belt, seat belt

A Father Urges Florida High School Students to Buckle Up

On a recent sunny morning in Florida, almost 200 Newberry High School students stood in silence as a former classmate's father urged them to buckle their seat belts whenever they get into a car.

Tom Solberg, whose son Richard Jaggers was among four Newberry students killed in a car wreck a year ago, said, "It's an act that only takes a second to perform, an act that if not done could end your life in seconds." He added that the students might have lived if they had been wearing seat belts.

Jaggers and his friend, Alexander Coppock, both 18, perished in a crash after veering off State Road 24 on an early Sunday morning in May. Neither had been wearing a seat belt, and both young men were hurled from the vehicle.

Solberg made his request while the students watched the unveiling of the first of several signs that will be mounted at high schools around Alachua County. In gold letters, the blue signs at the student exits from Newberry High read, "Buckle up Panthers." Inmate crews will be installing signs at other high schools. The Eastside High sign will spell out "Buckle up Rams."

Florida Department of Transportation spokeswoman Gina Busscher said the signs were a public-private partnership involving donations of time and material.

With spring break starting soon, Alachua County Sheriff's spokesman Art Forgey said that this week is a good time to remind students about the importance of safety.
Sheriff Sadie Darnell told the Newberry High students that she and others are focusing on traffic safety because "traffic crashes are the No. 1 killer of teens. Driving is the most dangerous thing most of you will do in your lives. Every time you see one of these signs, we want you to remember that there is a very simple thing you can do to save your life. Buckle up."

About 200 of the nearly 600 Newberry were on hand for the sign-unveiling ceremony. While Solberg spoke, the students listened intently as he recalled seeing two Florida Highway Patrol troopers turn into his driveway, arriving there to tell him that his son had died.

"What a heavy burden for law enforcement officers to have to carry - to tell someone their child has died," Solberg said. "Make the right decision. Wear you seat belt. Always."

Is your teen a safe driver? The National Safety Commission has developed a new Teen Injury Prevention course to emphasize driving safety for teenagers. For more information, including a Driver Education Book for Parents, visit www.safedriver.com.

Labels: car seats, seat belt, seat belt law, seat belt safety

State Budget Crisis Forcing Seat Belt Law For Pickup Trucks To Center Stage

If Georgia legislators pass a new law requiring adults in pickup trucks to wear seat belts, it would instantly give the state about $4 million in federal highway funds.

In what has become an annual crusade, supporters of the change present Georgia lawmakers with frightening statistics about the number of lives that could be saved and accidents avoided if the law is passed. Yet Georgia has held out, and is now the last state in the nation to specifically exempt adults in pickups from wearing seatbelts.

But Georgia's faces a budget deficit that could exceed $2 billion. The state could spend the $4 million grant to fund road safety programs while saving in the ballpark of $62 million each year in accident-related expenses like medical costs. New Hampshire, with no seat belt requirement for all adult drivers, was denied $3.7 million in grants in 2007.

A Republican physician who has long championed the change, Georgia state Sen. Don Thomas said, "The budget crisis will give this more momentum. It's better to prevent this than to plan funerals."

The federal government has long tied seat belt laws to highway money. In Georgia, minors and adults are required to wear seat belts in all vehicles except pickups.

Requiring adults to wear seat belts can help save lives, of that there's little argument. It's estimated by the National Highway Safety Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation that changing the law would save 21 lives and prevent 300 injuries annually.

Insurance companies and auto associations have long supported the changes, and at the moment no lobbyists are actively working against the effort. But for years, attempts to pass a tougher seat belt law have been blocked by rural legislators who view the rule as unnecessary regulation.

"Adults ought to be smart enough to wear seat belts. We should be responsible enough to do it without having a state law that says so," said state Sen. Jeff Chapman, a Republican from rural Brunswick who voted against the proposal last year, and will vote against it this year.

Pickup drivers in rural parts of the state agree with that sentiment.

Dennis Lewis, a 50-year-old pickup driver who runs a concession stand in southeast Georgia, said, "I use common sense in my life, and in common sense, I'm going to use a seat belt. Do I need another law on the books to say I must use seat belts? I don't think so."

In 2007, Indiana passed the adult seat belt law for pickups, but the state once took a similar position as Georgia.

In recent years, the Georgia Senate has passed proposals to change the seat belt requirements, but the measures often were bottled up in the House. House Speaker Glenn Richardson did not comment on the measure.

The time is ripe to at least seriously consider a change, says a growing number of political heavyweights.

The Senate would give the measure a "fair hearing and consideration," said a spokesman for Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. Last month, Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue said that a debate was appropriate.

"I don't necessarily think we ought to do it for the federal money," Perdue said. "But the kids I'm concerned about are those that are in the modern-day pickups, when they get a crowd of friends in there, and they're fooling around."

Along with motor vehicle safety, driver education helps ensure the safety of Americans. Whether you're getting your Commercial Drivers License, your Learner's Permit, or your Motorcycle License, America's Driver's License Headquarters is TestQuestionsandAnswers.com.

Labels: seat belt, seat belt law, seat belt safety, teen seat belt use