IT ONLY TAKES A SECOND TO SAY GOODBYE....
REMINDER TO SCHOOL BUS
DRIVERS: You are
not protected by compartmentalization. Use your seatbelts. It's the
law!
SEAT BELTS & AIR
BAGS
...Use all you've got
A combination lap/shoulder belt greatly reduces your chances of
being seriously injured in a motor vehicle crash. The lap belt prevents
ejection and protects your lower body. The shoulder belt keeps your
head and chest from striking the dashboard or windshield. In vehicles with
automatic shoulder belts and manual lap belts, it is extremely important
to buckle the lap belt.
Air bags DO NOT take the place of safety belts. Even if
your vehicle is equipped with air bags, you must properly "BUCKLE-UP!" to
ensure maximum protection during a motor vehicle crash.
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You are four times more likely to be killed or
seriously injured if you are thrown from your vehicle. The forces in
a motor vehicle collision can be great enough to fling you as far as
150 feet - about 15 car
lengths. |
It only takes a second to say
goodbye.
When a vehicle crashes into a stationary object the physical
changes to the front of the vehicle traveling 55 mph take place faster
than the mind can comprehend. One second we see a whole vehicle - the next
a pile of twisted shapeless metal.
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Don't let this happen
to you!
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What follows is a description of what happens to a driver in
less than one second who is not wearing a seat belt as compared to a
driver who is wearing a seat belt. Should you wear a seat belt? You
decide. In a second, all you can do ...is say
goodbye!
Assume that all red printing refers to a vehicle driven by a
person who is not wearing a seat belt
All blue printing refers to a vehicle driven by a person who
is wearing a seat belt.
ONE TENTH OF A
SECOND
| The front bumper and
grill work collapses. |
The pendulum
mechanism of the restraint system
engages. |
TWO TENTHS OF
A SECOND
| The hood crumples,
flies up, and smashes the windshield. The legs of the driver
straighten and snap at the knees. |
The driver
is thrown forward against the seat belt. He is showered with glass
and receives minor cuts. |
THREE TENTHS
OF A SECOND
| The driver's body
leaves the seat going forward. The frame of the steering wheel
begins to bend. The driver's head is near the visor; his chest above
the steering wheel. |
The driver
is still held firmly in the seat. |
FOUR TENTHS
OF A SECOND
| The rear of the
vehicle is airborne and the vehicle's speed is 35 mph and
decelerating. The driver is still traveling at 55 mph. |
As the
vehicle decelerates to 35 mph, the driver almost mirrors the rate of
deceleration. |
FIVE TENTHS
OF A SECOND
| The driver, frozen in
fear, bends the steering column up almost vertical. He is impaled on
the shaft. Steel punctures the legs and arteries. Severe internal
injuries occur. |
The
vehicle decelerates sharply and whips the driver's head back against
the head rest. At most, the driver receives a concussion and
whiplash. |
SIX TENTHS OF
A SECOND
The impact separates
feet from shoes. Because of inertia the shoes remain in place while
the feet move upward and forward. The brake pedal shears off. The
head smashes into the
windshield.
Remember, injuries that have
occurred before the driver hits the windshield are enough to be
fatal. |
Because
the seat belt is bolted to the frame of the vehicle, the driver
remains seated.
The injuries received are minor to
moderate, the driver is still alive! |
SEVEN
TENTHS OF A SECOND
| The entire body of
the vehicle is forced out of shape, the front seat flies forward,
pinning the driver against the sheering shaft. The neck snaps from
the blow on the windshield. The shock of impact freezes the
heart. The driver is dead. |
The
passenger's side of the seat flies forward, the driver's side stays
in place and so does the driver. If the driver is not pinned in he
can easily unbuckle his seat belt and walk
away! |
SEAT BELTS &
AIR BAGS
Use all you've got
A message
from the Arizona Department of Public Safety
and the Governor's Office of Highway
Safety.
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