WHY
WEAR A SAFETY BELT?
To understand the value of safety belts and child safety
seat use, it's important to understand some of the dynamics
of a traffic crash. Every motor vehicle crash is actually
comprised of three collisions.
The first collision is known as the car's collision, which
causes the car to buckle and bend as it hits something and
comes to an abrupt stop. This occurs in approximately one-tenth
of a second. The crushing of the front end absorbs some
of the force of the crash and cushions the rest of the car.
As a result, the passenger compartment comes to a more gradual
stop than the front of the car.
The second collision occurs as the car's occupants hit
some part of the vehicle. At the moment of impact, unbelted
occupants are still traveling at the vehicle's original
speed. Just after the vehicle comes to a complete stop,
these unbelted occupants will slam into the steering wheel,
the windshield, or some other part of the vehicle's interion.
This is the human collision.
Another form of human collision is the person-to-person
impact. Many serious injuries are caused by unbelted occupants
colliding with each other. In a crash,
occupants tend to move toward the point of impact, not away
from it. People in the front seat are often struck by unbelted
rear-seat passengers who have become highspeed projectiles.
Even after the occupant's body comes to a complete stop,
the internal organs are still moving forward. Suddenly,
these organs hit other organs or the skeletal system. This
third collision is the internal collision and often causes
serious or fatal injuries.
SO WHY SAFETY BELTS?
During a crash, properly fastened safety belts distribute
the forces of rapid deceleration over larger and stronger
parts of the person's bOdy, such as the chest, hips and
shoulders. The safety belt stretches slightly to slow your
body down and to increase its stopping distance.
The difference between the belted person's stopping distance
and the unbelted person's stopping distance is significant.
It's often the difference between life and death.
FLORIDA LAW
316.614 Safety Belt Usage - View
the Statute online
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