Want to undo 59 years of car safety progress?
Don't wear your seat belt.
In 2016, just 10% of people didn't wear seat belts, but they accounted for 48% of car crash deaths. That made them over 8 times as likely to die in a car crash as someone who wears their seat belts.
This would give those who refuse to wear their seat belts a death rate per 100 million miles traveled of 5.72 (compared to 1.18 for the average).
To get this figure, I took that 1.18, multiplied it by the 48% of fatalities that didn't wear seat belts, then divided it by 9.9%, the percentage of people who don't buckle up.
Going back in time, we find that the death rate was 5.71 in 1957. So if you don't buckle up, you're putting yourself at the same risk as the average car occupant had in 1957. The same 1950s where cars folded up like tin cans in crashes. This driver's ed film is also from 1959, and it's pretty gnarly. 1957. Lap belts were extremely rare. Things like airbags, anti-lock brakes, and side-impact door beams - features you'll find in most $500 jalopies today - were decades from being invented. The three point seat belt was two years away. Car interiors were covered in metal and sharp edges.
Here's two crash tests of 2008 Honda Accords.
This crash was done at just 25 mph with unbelted dummies. The test dummies are only 5 feet tall and about 105 pounds. The car's front is only crushed in by several inches. Yet the dummies go well into the airbags, nearly hitting the windshield. Imagine if the dummies were taller and heavier, putting more stress on the airbags. If there was an offset, sending them sideways into hard objects. If the speed was cranked up to, say... 35.
This crash was actually done at 35. These dummies are 5'9 and about 170 pounds, but are wearing their seat belts. Without them, they'd be putting over 3 times the stress on the airbags. I used the coupe because it didn't deploy its side curtain airbags in the full frontal, so it's easier to see inside. Both the coupe and sedan got 5 star safety ratings with similar injury measures. The dummies have a much more natural trajectory into the airbags and come nowhere close to the windshield.
Car safety engineers have worked tirelessly since 1957 to save your life. The least you can do is buckle up.
Don't wear your seat belt.
In 2016, just 10% of people didn't wear seat belts, but they accounted for 48% of car crash deaths. That made them over 8 times as likely to die in a car crash as someone who wears their seat belts.
This would give those who refuse to wear their seat belts a death rate per 100 million miles traveled of 5.72 (compared to 1.18 for the average).
To get this figure, I took that 1.18, multiplied it by the 48% of fatalities that didn't wear seat belts, then divided it by 9.9%, the percentage of people who don't buckle up.
Going back in time, we find that the death rate was 5.71 in 1957. So if you don't buckle up, you're putting yourself at the same risk as the average car occupant had in 1957. The same 1950s where cars folded up like tin cans in crashes. This driver's ed film is also from 1959, and it's pretty gnarly. 1957. Lap belts were extremely rare. Things like airbags, anti-lock brakes, and side-impact door beams - features you'll find in most $500 jalopies today - were decades from being invented. The three point seat belt was two years away. Car interiors were covered in metal and sharp edges.
Here's two crash tests of 2008 Honda Accords.
This crash was done at just 25 mph with unbelted dummies. The test dummies are only 5 feet tall and about 105 pounds. The car's front is only crushed in by several inches. Yet the dummies go well into the airbags, nearly hitting the windshield. Imagine if the dummies were taller and heavier, putting more stress on the airbags. If there was an offset, sending them sideways into hard objects. If the speed was cranked up to, say... 35.
This crash was actually done at 35. These dummies are 5'9 and about 170 pounds, but are wearing their seat belts. Without them, they'd be putting over 3 times the stress on the airbags. I used the coupe because it didn't deploy its side curtain airbags in the full frontal, so it's easier to see inside. Both the coupe and sedan got 5 star safety ratings with similar injury measures. The dummies have a much more natural trajectory into the airbags and come nowhere close to the windshield.
Car safety engineers have worked tirelessly since 1957 to save your life. The least you can do is buckle up.
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