Despite statistics to support the seat belt case, there is still plenty of controversy surrounding the claim that mandatory seat belt laws save lives. Many of us have been around long enough to remember when seat belts were not even installed in vehicles. In the rare event that seat belts were installed, they were often regarded as a nuisance and pushed aside. Drivers in their fifties and sixties cannot recall wearing seat belts as a child back then, adults usually didn’t wear seat belts and neither did children.
There is plenty of recognized research to show that many lives could have been saved had the occupants in motor vehicle accidents been wearing seat belts. People turn into deadly projectiles during a high speed vehicle impact, smashing into windscreens, steering wheels, other occupants and being hurtled outside the car. Even a minor accident can kill someone if they are not wearing a seat belt. One blow to a vulnerable part of the head is all it takes.
As an Australian resident, I have lived for many years with a seat belt law that helps protect and save lives. I never get into a vehicle without wearing a seat belt and will not allow passengers...