ITARDA INFOMATION

Introduction

Wear your seat belts when riding in a vehicle. Buckling up is extremely important not because it is the law; it is because seat belts reduce injuries in the event of an accident.
From time to time ITARDA has publicized the need for wearing seat belts. However, analyses exclusively on seat belts were featured only in the first two issues of ITARDA INFORMATION, No.1 and No.2, which unfortunately have not been followed up. We therefore decided to address the necessity of seat belts in this issue by incorporating the latest data in our analysis.

Contents

1.What happens in a vehicle accident if you are not wearing a seat belt?

2.How does the use or non-use of seat belts affect the number of casualties?

3.How does the use or non-use of seat belts affect the chances of becoming a fatality?

4.What kind of person does not use seat belts?

5.How many people can be saved by the use of seat belts?

6.Should we use seat belts only for our own sakes?

7.What about these reports of occupants being thrown from vehicles and saved?

Conclusion

  As the use of seat belts has become widespread and vehicle occupants who did not use seat belts have started to use seat belts, the number of fatalities and injuries have been declining.
  Comparing fatality rates of vehicle occupants, we can readily see the effect of seat belts, since the rate of occupants who used seat belts was 0.2 - 0.3%, whereas the rate of occupants who did not use seat belts was much higher, namely, 2.1 - 2.4%.
  The seat belt is the most effective restraint for occupants involved in accidents in which the front of a vehicle is struck. When we look at the number of fatalities and serious injuries in such accidents, we see that the use of seat belts can reduce fatalities and serious injuries by 42 - 49%.
  It is therefore evident that the use of seat belts lessens the seriousness of injuries. No one wants to be involved in an accident. Be sure to wear seat belts when riding in a vehicle, even if you feel they are too much trouble and are only needed in a moment of danger.
  The seat belt should be used with a little slack in it, with the lap belt snugly around your hips and the shoulder belt lying over your shoulder and across your chest. Some vehicles are equipped with a shoulder adjuster. In addition, setting the driver's seat in a position that facilitates driving also enhances the effectiveness of seat belts when they are needed. Peace of mind makes for a comfortable ride. Let's put our voices together and urge drivers and passengers alike to use seat belts in the proper manner.

Institute for Traffic Accident Research and Data Analysis (ITARDA)