Archive for seatbelts
New Seatbelt Law in New Jersey
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve been hearing a lot of talk about the new law that states all passengers in a car must wear seatbelts. Previously, only passengers under the age of 18 were required to wear seatbelts in the back seat.
Most people feel protected in the back seat; having the seats in front of them seems to offer a sense of safety. Really???? Imagine for a moment being involved in a crash where you are catapulted forward into the seat at a rate of 45 mph. At that speed, a 160 pound passenger will be thrown with a force of over 3.5 tons, that is the weight of an elephant. Imagine hitting into another passenger with that same force! That force multiplies at greater speeds.
The reality is that an unbelted passenger in a car poses a risk to all passengers as they can become “backseat bullets” and actually injure other passengers in a vehicle. Check out these video links for graphic images about what happens to passengers who are not wearing seatbelts.
Kudos to New Jersey legislatures for bringing awareness to this important safety issue and for saving lives by requiring seatbelts for all passengers.