Do Seat Belts Make a Difference in Safety?

As the years have gone by, cars have seen an evolution in safety features. The changing of the times bring along new innovations, sweeping out old and outdated technology and replacing it with newer, better safety devices.

It makes one wonder at times how accurate and helpful older forms of safety devices happen to remain. For example, what about seat belts? As one of the oldest safety mechanics in a car, just how much good do they still do?

Seat belts and the reduction of harm

The National Library of Medicine talks about the impact seat belts can have on driver safety. Over the years, seat belts have undergone continuous improvement in order to make them safer for drivers and passengers, while still maintaining the key components that allow them to protect those in a car in the event of a crash.

Some people argue that seat belts can cause harm, and in a way, this is true. The study mentioned above shows that injuries to the thoracic and coccyx areas of the back increase with the use of a seat belt. At the same time, however, seat belts reduce the severity of injury by a large margin. 22.0 percent of people without seat belts experienced a severe injury to the thoracic and coccyx regions while only 4.2 percent of seat belt wearers experienced this.

A lower medical tab

Seat belts also reduced injury in most other areas of importance. Injuries to the head, face and neck saw a 12.7 percent difference, while traumatic head injuries saw a difference of 6.3 percent. On top of that, seat belt wearers often experienced a smaller medical tab after seeking treatment. In short, seat belts decrease injuries and injury-related expenses, meaning they still do their job just fine.