Seatbelts really do save lives

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Michael Gath
  • 267th Combat Communications Squadron
MASSACHUSETTS --  So there I was one Thursday evening in November, driving down the road going to meet a few friends for dinner, when my life would change forever. All I saw were headlights coming at me and then barely re- member the seatbelt locking up and the airbags going off. My truck spun a few times and came to rest right next to a telephone pole. I was lucky to be wearing my seatbelt as I probably would have been thrown from my truck and injured a lot more seriously than I was. Granted, I was injured but, I more than likely would not be here today had I not had my seatbelt on.

FACTS:

· Every hour in America, someone dies in a crash because they didn't wear their seatbelt
· If a crash occurs at 40 mph, a 150 pound person could be thrown from a vehicle with 6,000 pounds of force
· 3 out of 4 people who are ejected from a vehicle die as a result
· Seatbelts increase your chance of surviving a crash by 50 percent
· 3 out of 4 crashes happen within 25 miles of your home

So, before you pull out of your driveway, parking spot, or wherever your car is, please make it a habit, if you haven't already, to strap on your seatbelt. It could just save your life.