seat belts?

[sportygirl]

Ok i have a question? On seat belts, in any one's experince have you seen better out come of survival with a seat belt on or off? For example, in a roll over accident the pt was not wearing his seat belt and he didn't make it. But in another accident the pt was not wearing a seat belt and that saved her because in the crash she was thrown in the back seat and the dash folded down around the front seat had she been in the seat she would have been crushed from the waist down.

[WestSideBorderPatrol]

Seat belts save lives. Period. They save your life, and they protect the other occupants in the vehicle from your body being thrown all over the place. Are there instances where not wearing a seat belt as contributed to someone not dying? Sure. But those instances are few and far between, I'll take my chances by wearing my seat belt.

[FireMedic65]

Yes, there is that slight chance that NOT wearing a seat belt will benefit you. This is a very low chance though, and quite rare. Seat belts save lives. Statistics prove it. I have been one way too many accident scenes where that if the patients were wearing their seat belts, they would be alive today to tell you they did.

[rock_shoes]

We do a considerable number of crashes at my current station and patients wearing their seat-belts have consistently faired better than those who did not wear them. It only makes sense that something that prevents you from flying through a windshield or being crushed by a rolling car will improve your chance of survival.

[Tpage10]

Yes, there is that slight chance that NOT wearing a seat belt will benefit you. This is a very low chance though, and quite rare. Seat belts save lives. Statistics prove it. I have been one way too many accident scenes where that if the patients were wearing their seat belts, they would be alive today to tell you they did.

Agreed. I lost a cousin a couple years ago to an accident. No seat belt, thrown from the car and crushed as the car rolled over her. Single car/person accident thank goodness....on the other hand, my brother was in a roll over accident with no seat belt on, he was thrown from the vehicle and the driver side of the vehicle was demolished.

I vote for seat belt!

Edited March 12, 2009 by Tpage10

[2wheelinemt]

[seat belts save lives. yes maybe there be one out there that if they weren't wearing a seatbelt they would be alive. But in my past 22 yrs experience I have seen first hand that seatbelt save lives no doubt. On a personal not I was involved in a head-on collision and that seatbelt saved me. Yes the engine came in and broke my leg and trapped me but if I didn't have it one I would be dead. My car hit a car head-on and them spun 3 more times I would have been killed from that. So yes I even wear it when driving and sitting in passenger seat of ambulance.

[itku2er]

Not only do they save lives but its the LAW.

[AnthonyM83]

Naw haven't seen it, but I'm sure it happens every now and then.

Of course, I've been so many accidents that looked bad, but restrained driver's were fine and number of accidents that were only moderately bad...with unrestrained fatality.

[WolfmanHarris]

This sounds like the "steel toed boots will cut your toes off" thing. Ya there is some extreme cases where random chance may reward stupidity and unfortunately these rare anecdotes will in some peoples minds wipe away any evidence to the contrary, especially if they already don't like wearing their seatbelt, hi-vis, helmet, steel toes, etc.

I'm in favour of seatbelt laws. I live in a country of socialized medicine and collective responsibility which means your stupid decision to not wear a seatbelt or drive drunk becomes to responsibility of everyone else to pay. Were that not the case, people have the right to believe what they want and be as stupid as they like.

[mobey]

I am not going to post my opinion as fact, but if you are really that interested, there is a study out there that showed seatbelts reduce the incidence of aortic shear, head injuries and scalp evulsions in high speed MVC's.

I am waaaay too lazy to find it though