Seatbelts Save Lives! Are You Sure Your Teen is Wearing One?

The #1 thing that turns a car crash into a fatal crash is that the victims were not wearing seatbelts, and tragically, a lot of those victims are teens.

I've talked to many parents who've lost their sons and daughters in crashes. In too many cases, the teens were thrown from the car and sustained fatal injuries because they weren't wearing their seatbelts. This is particularly tragic because their parents insisted that they ALWAYS WORE their seatbelts. So why did they undo them or leave them undone on that particular day?
Sometimes there were distractions that diverted their attention and they forgot.
Sometimes they were uncomfortable and wanted to relax without the restriction.
Sometimes they didn’t bother because they were only going a short distance.

Sometimes the car was overloaded so there weren't enough belts for all the passengers.
Sometimes it may have been peer pressure because no one else was wearing one either.


Every parent needs to make their teens understand that there are no excuses. They must wear their seatbelts every time they get in the car and make sure everyone else in the car does too.

And if they say that if someone in the car refuses to wear his belt – “that’s his problem” – they’re wrong! It’s the problem of every other passenger in the car too!

In a collision, any unbelted person becomes a pinball that bounces around inside the vehicle. That ‘pinball’ can smash into any other passenger causing brain damage or even death. Really!

Rules for seatbelt use
· Every passenger must wear a seatbelt including lap belt and shoulder harness
· 1 seatbelt per person (no lap-sitting or doubling up)
· If you have more people than seatbelts, make 2 trips or use 2 vehicles
· Never let anyone ride in the trunk or on the floor.
· Seats must be upright. Seatbelts will not protect the wearer when the seat is reclined.

Make it a habit to do a ‘seatbelt check’ every time you get in the car. Have each passenger check that their belt is secure and that the people beside them have buckled up too.

The statistics are scary. One in ten teens will be involved in a crash during their first year driving. Don’t let that crash be a fatal crash. Make sure your teens perform a seatbelt check every time they get in the car.

This video is graphic but it makes the point.