USACRC Safety Short - Best Crash Defense

UNITED STATES

02.07.2024

Video by JE Snowden 

U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center

While seat belt use has increased significantly due to laws, education, and technology over the years and most of us automatically buckle up the moment we enter a passenger vehicle, the lack of seat belt use in our Army continues to be a fatal issue. ​

Unfortunately, even in the face of overwhelming facts, some folks have difficulty distinguishing between facts and fiction and buy in to the following common myths regarding seat belts:​

​Myth – My vehicle has airbags, so I don’t need to wear a seatbelt.​
FACT: Airbags are designed to work with seat belts, not replace them. In fact, if you aren’t wearing a seat belt, you could be thrown into a rapidly opening airbag and that force could seriously injure or kill you.​

​Myth – If my vehicle is on fire or underwater after a crash, my seat belt will trap me in the vehicle.​
FACT: Crashes involving fire or water are very rare (1/2 of 1% of all crashes) and if you are involved in one of these rare incidents, you have a better chance of escaping the vehicle if you are conscious. Wearing you your seat belt gives you a much greater chance of being conscious.​

Myth – You don’t need a seat belt if you aren’t traveling far or at a fast speed.​
FACT: Most fatal crashes happen within 25 miles from home and at speeds of less than 40 mph.​

​Myth – You are safer in a pickup truck, SUV or van, so you don’t need to wear a seatbelt in those vehicles.​
​ FACT: Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury to drivers and front seat passengers in pickups, SUVs and vans by 60%.​

Seat belts are without a doubt your best defense in the event of a vehicle crash – BUCKLE UP!

• Date Taken: 02.07.2024
• Date Posted: 02.14.2024 12:33
• Category: PSA
• Video ID: 912880
• VIRIN: 240207-D-HR738-1754
• Filename: DOD_110127047
• Length: 00:00:29
• Location: US