Wearing seat belt while driving at high speed: How safe is it?

Question

It is a basic and common safety rule to wear seat belts for both the driver and the person sitting in the front. But while driving at hi speed (legally on a high way), like let's say, 75 mph, does it still guarantee safety? If at that speed any crash happens, you die right away. Because at that velocity, the belts will break your ribs. Also, even if you don't wear belts, obviously you die or suffer serious injury.

Answer 1

Seat belts don't guarantee safety, but your chances of surviving a crash are much higher if you're wearing one than if you don't. That's why they have also added airbags to cars and designed cars to "crush" in a certain way during a collision. It's hard to say for sure because of all the variables involved. Here are two true stories: (1) My high school trig teacher was involved in a head-on collision where he was doing 45 MPH in his little Toyota and the other car was doing 45 MPH, so that's like crashing into a wall at 90 MPH. His car was totaled, but he walked away from the accident. Hmmm...(2) My first wife was involved in a head-on collision where she was doing 55 MPH in her Buick Park Avenue and she hit a tow truck coming the other way at 45 MPH. She was killed instantly. So how can you say a seatbelt is a benefit? Well, I'll listen to the words of my uncle who is a Captain with the Michigan State Police after 40+ years -- he told me he never had to unbuckle a dead person.

Answer 2

Well you are sadly mistaken. First NASCAR drivers wear seat belts and routinely have crashes at 200 MPH. Secondly the safety equipment in a vehicle is tested to conform with DOT Standards which are good up to as high as 100 MPH. Next consider broken ribs (a painful but not fatal injury) to a broken neck, or being thrown out of the car and projected like a missile into the local scenery.
There are no absolute guarantees, just numerical odds that the safety equipment in your car will protect you. There have been people who survived horrendous crashes and walked away because of seat belts, and there have been minor fender benders where someone died wearing a seat belt. The odds are that it will save you, so why risk otherwise?

Answer 3

Trust me I have been in a few accidents at full speed while you can be hurt badly by a seat belt its alot better than being dead. In my last accident I hit a tree at 65mph in my supra I was wearing my seat belt and my air bag went off. I walked away from the crash without any major injurys.

Answer 4

What you say makes sense, of course. But in the service industry, like other professions, there are idiots and thugs,too. In most cases these officers never work in the same capacity again. The best they can hope for is to hang around some school and make certain the kids get on the bus safely at the end of the day. And they shouldn't even be allowed there.

Answer 5

A few years ago my sister was riding in a Jimmy that flipped over doing 120km, crossed 4 lanes, she was front passenger and her and driver were wearing seat belts, they walked away. The two rear passengers were not, they both got thrown out and one died, the other is still suffering from injuries. You draw your own conclusion.

Answer 6

wearing seat belt can save you in low or mid speed. Yeah it can crash your ribs, but i presume it's better than to smack the head in the windshild or even fly and crash on the street. In huge accidents, at very big speed, when the whole car is smashed, i think the only way to be safe would be installing iron cage in the car.

Answer 7

almost 100% injured or dead without restraints. Your car stops, you don't.....

Answer 8

'flowerpet' said it all.