Course is called Public Speaking. The topic is Wearing seatbelts in a car. Safety - Essay Example

Wearing seat belts-safety Attention When you enter your car, do you instinctually buckle your seat belt? Do you know that wearing a seat belt determines whether you live or die in an accident? Wearing a seat belt while you ride in a car is the key determinant of whether you live or die during an accident. Seat belts reduce death and injury by up to 50 per cent; by you not wearing a seat belt your chances of surviving an accident reduces to zero (Snyder, 1970). Mortality rates caused by failure to wear seat belts can be remedied by enforcing seat belt laws by law enforcement officers and granting of hefty fines against those who violate these laws. I. ProblemOne in seven car occupants wear seat belts while in a car this translates to only 14.

28 per cent of occupants. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, automobile accidents are the single leading cause of deaths of people aged between 5 to 34 years in the USA. In the year 2009, 33000 people died from automobile accidents and 2.2 million others were injured as a result (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Wearing a seat belt prevents passengers and drivers from being thrown out of the vehicle on impact during an accident. Furthermore, it prevents fatal injuries to the occupants of the car.

Even though a car is equipped with airbags these alone cannot protect occupants of the car, seat belts are required to prevent serious injury. Lack of wearing seat belts while in a car can lead to serious injuries and worst of all death. I therefore pose this question to you, are you in the 14.28 per cent category that buckles their seat belts?II. SolutionTo prevent the deaths caused by not wearing seat belts there needs to be strict enforcement of seat belt laws by law enforcement. Most states have seat belt laws; which fall in the category of either primary or secondary, with only 19 states with no such legislation.

Primary laws stipulate that a police officer should pull over a driver and issue a ticket because he or other occupants of the car are not wearing their seat belts. On the other hand, secondary laws have it that police officers can issue a ticket for seat belt violations only if the driver of the car had been pulled over for other traffic offences. Furthermore, fines to be paid need to be increased so as to deter any traffic offenders from repeated offences (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).

Enforcement of these laws is the key to preventing the deaths of car occupants involved in accidents. Seat belts prevent injury in numerous ways. They restrain the strongest parts of the body; these are the hips and shoulders which are strapped by the seat belt. Furthermore, seat belts spread the impact from the collision by not putting stress on any one area. Through this they prevent serious injury to the occupants of the car. Most importantly, seat belts slow down the body. Injury occurs when there is a sudden change in speed and seat belts prolong the time it takes for the body to slow down during an accident (Oklahoma State University, 1993).

Enforcement of these laws may cost individuals a few extra dollars in traffic tickets and police officers more traffic stops but it goes a long way in safeguarding the lives of automobile users. With strict and consistent enforcement, individuals will be conditioned into wearing their seat belts and this will see the mortality rates decrease significantly. Objections raised against hefty fines should be quelled with the education of the public on the importance of the laws and the need for adherence to them. III. VisualizationOf the 33000 victims who died in 2009, more than half of them were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident.

Seat belts drastically reduce mortality rates of victims of automobile accidents. It is therefore important for you to understand the importance of wearing a seat belt when riding in a car. Seat belts saved the lives of 13000 people in the 2009; if all passengers and drivers were wearing their seat belts 4000 of them would still be alive today (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). If the use of seat belts had been enforced by 2009, only 16500 people would have died due to automobile accidents. IV. ActionWhat can be done to prevent these deaths?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, states that enforce primary enforcement rank 9 per cent higher than those with secondary enforcement in the rates of seat belt use. If states with secondary enforcement were at par with primary enforcement states the lives of more accident victims would have been saved. Increasing the number of states with primary seat belt laws will go a long way in reducing the mortality rates of automobile accidents. Challenges posed by the public to these legislations can be countered through creating awareness on how seat belt use can save the lives of the occupants of automobiles (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014).

Enforcement of these laws will see a significant reduction in the number of deaths of accident victims. Failure to do so, will result in escalating mortality rates, and paired with increasingly more instances of drunk driving and more automobile users a greater number of people are put at risk. Therefore, to put these laws into action, there is need for increased enforcement programs that will create the awareness of the need for the laws to be duly implemented. Public campaigns will create overhaul awareness on the risks of driving without safety belts and the dangers it poses to drivers, passengers and other road users.

In summary, seat belts go a long way in saving the lives of millions of people and thus to save the people the rates of seat belt use need to increased in order to save these lives. 1 in 7 car occupants wear their seat belts while in a car; and only this person is likely to survive the accident (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014). Survival is dependent on this sole but simple task; it will save both my life and yours. It is your choice, buckle up; it will save your life. ReferencesCenter for Disease Control and Prevention.

(2014, January 21). Injury Prevention and Control: Motor Vehicle Safety. Retrieved May 29, 2014, from Center for Disease Control and Prevention: www.cdc.govOklahoma State University. (1993). Seat Belts: Why You SHould Use Them. Retrieved May 29, 2014, from OSU EHS Safety Training: ehs.oku.eduSnyder, R. G. (1970). The Seat Belt as a Cause of Injury. Marquette Law Review , 211-228.