Seat Belts

Every 15 minutes a young-adult driver is killed in a crash. Often, it is the front seat passenger who is killed by being thrown around inside the vehicle. Seat belts and air bags can minimize injuries or prevent them altogether.

Care to buckle up?

In a front-end, head-on crash at 40 mph with another vehicle, it takes .05 seconds for the front bumper to crumble backward to the engine. In that same amount of time, an unbelted passenger is plunged forward toward the windshield, also at 40 mph. The victim suffers broken ribs and limbs from smashing into the dashboard.

The glass is instantly shattered by the impact of the crash. Dicing may occur - facial lacerations in the shape of small squares caused by the even shattering of the glass. If ejected, the victim skids and tumbles over rough pavement and eventually lands far from the car. And if the victim is lucky, he or she will live to make the choice of wearing their seat belt on another trip.

Life on the real road - Rachel's Friday night

Rachel Harrington knows what its like to be thrown through the window of a car. She also knows the pain of losing a friend, forever.

It was a typical Friday night. Sixteen-year-old Rachel was at a girlfriends house watching a movie with her friends Josh and Jerrell. Her curfew was fast approaching, so when the movie ended, Josh said hed give her a ride home.

Rachel only lived a couple of minutes away. Jerrell needed a ridetoo, so he came along. Josh asked Rachel if Jerrell could be dropped off first, even though she lived closer. Rachel said OK, but reminded him that shed get in trouble if she missed her curfew.

The trio jumped into the compact car, with Rachel in the back seat, and they sped off. The road was dark and filled with curves and hills. Josh was traveling fast, about 20 mph over the speed limit, mindful of getting Rachel home on time.

Suddenly, something went terribly wrong, and neither Rachel nor Jerrell were wearing a seat belt.

Rachel never dreamed she would experience a serious crash or get thrown from a car. She never looked into her future and imagined being in a coma for weeks, having brain surgery, living with no memory, and spending months learning to walk again.

Rachels plan was to go to college and continue taking dance classes. Instead, she found herself tumbling around the car that night as it flipped and rolled over again and again. Rachel was thrown through the rear window, landed on her head, and nearly died.

That wasnt part of Rachels Friday night plans. Neither was the death of her friend, Jerrell. He was only conscious for a few moments when the paramedics arrived. His last words spoken were of his concern for Rachels safety. Make sure shes OK, he said.

Today, Rachel continues to experience the after effects of a traumatic brain injury. She will be on special medication for the rest of her life. She has lost hearing in one ear. She has no sense of smell. A college education is no longer in her future because of the learning disabilities caused from her brain injury. If only Id worn my seat belt, she says, and imagines her future a little differently now.