Seat Belts In Delaware

SEAT BELT MYTH – PART #1
THE ODDS SHOULD BE BETTER!

At the time the numbers were placed on the sign in the picture below it showed that 63% of vehicle occupants (50) who were traffic fatalities did not buckle-up while 37% of the fatalities (29) used the vehicle occupant protection system. Granted the odds favored buckling-up by approximately 2-1 but one could argue the odds should be much higher in favor of a better outcome with seat belt usage.

GUESS WHAT? THEY ARE! The above statistical sign does not take into account the number of vehicle occupants who “DID GO HOME AGAIN” following the collision because they were wearing a seat belt. The numbers on the sign above only takes into account fatalities. It does not address the fact of who lived because they were buckled-up. When that number is taken into account, the odds in favor of buckling-up would probably rise to the upper 90 percentile.

SEAT BELT MYTH – PART #2
THROWN CLEAR VS. ROOM TO LIVE!

“THROWN CLEAR” a term sometimes used to support a position of not buckling-up. It may sound good, but in reality those who are THROWN CLEAR when the vehicle in which they are driving comes to a sudden stop and/or a change in direction (rollover/flip-over) face substantially poor odds of escaping serious injuries or worse! Actually, being THROWN (safely) CLEAR in a crash is almost impossible. Being THROWN through the windshield into a pole or tree or crushed by your own vehicle or another vehicle is definitely the more likely outcome. IMPORTANT: Another term for THROWN CLEAR is an EJECTION. However, the non seat belt use advocates generally stay away from the term EJECTION because it brings with it an image of a violent happening. GUESS WHAT! IT IS!

“ROOM TO LIVE” over the years there have been countless studies/photos/stories about individuals who perished in motor vehicle collisions because they did not remain in the safest location inside their vehicle — buckled-up in the vehicle seat. It would have provided them the best opportunity to survive. Not only would buckling-up have prevented an external EJECTION, but it would also have lessened the odds of an internal EJECTION injury or fatality. Internal EJECTION collision is when a human body suddenly and violently merges with another human body and/or a human body suddenly and violently merges with a part of the interior of the vehicle  (picture below).

There can be no dispute. The best odds of surviving a vehicle collision is to buckle-up in your seat because that will provide you the best odds for the ROOM TO LIVE if the unthinkable/unimaginable happens. IMPORTANT: Just because it has never happened to you in the past, does not mean it will never happen in the future. So unless you have the ability to tell the future, you cannot predict if it will happen to you. WHY! Because the only guarantee that can be given is it will never happen until it happens. The very famous person in the picture below clearly did not understand THE POWER OF THE FORCE. Do you?

If it could happen to a Princess it could happen to you. The ROOM TO LIVE is your best odds. BUCKLE-UP, EVERY TRIP, EVERY TIME!

IMPORTANT REMINDER

The OPERATOR of a motor vehicle is responsible to make sure all OCCUPANTS are BUCKLED-UP – TRUE: The driver gets the ticket, but the unbuckled vehicle occupant may end up paying the penalty charged by the power of “The FORCE”.

AND THE WINNER IS?

In the picture below we see what most would agree is an imposing figure. Yes, this Police Officer is someone most of us would welcome when confronted with impending danger.

However, just maybe we would not be happy to see him if we engaged in a violation of man’s traffic law (Delaware Code Title 21). Fortunately, the penalty imposed by Man’s Traffic Law is not nearly as severe as the one delivered by the “FORCE” — see picture below!

“SIGNIFICANT” DIFFERENCE

1. A Police Officer’s decision (Man’s Law) is always going to include EMOTION regardless of the Police Officer’s effort to exclude it from his/her decision to issue a traffic violation ticket or not to issue the ticket. Factors such as age and/or gender often are taken into account. It is also indisputable fact that a Police Officer cannot be on every spot of every road every second of every day. Finally, when issued a summons (traffic violation) there are opportunities to eliminate the violation and/or reduce the penalty of the violation through the “plea bargain” procedures.

2. “The FORCE” (Nature’s Law) differs greatly. There is absolutely no EMOTION involved in the penalty delivered by “The FORCE”. It is what it is! Additionally, “The FORCE” will be waiting to strike on every spot on every road we travel every second of every day and the option for a plea bargain is non existent.

Use “Smart Defense” to improve your odds to avoid violating Man’s Law and Nature’s Law.