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Many Wisconsin residents of all different race, sex, and age have unnecessarily lost their lives, or have been severely injured, in car accidents. And there always seems to be one strikingly common factor, lack of seat belt use.

As early as the 1960's, research showed that seat belt use could limit the degree of injury someone obtains when in a car accident. Utilizing the results of these studies, car manufacturers began building seat belts into cars to lower the amount of injuries and fatalities from motor vehicle accidents. Many riders, however, found them (and continue to find them) a nuisance and routinely tucked them in their seats for a more comfortable ride. Despite an increased body of scientific data supporting reduction in death and injuries, seat belt use continued to be close to single digit percentages in the 1970s and 1980s.

Acting on this statistic, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made changes in national legislation (and the states appropriately followed) to require the use of seat belts. The auto engineers were instructed to change the design to make it more convenient and comfortable to buckle up. These two changes increased the seat belt use to 83 percent nationwide. Wisconsin, however, lagged (and continues to lag) behind with a 73 percent usage rate, ranking it 44 out of 50 states.

Seat belts continue to be a successful way to decrease the severity and death rate of injuries sustained in a car crash accomplishing this by distributing the force of the impact over a wider area of the body. This distribution prevents free movement in the passenger compartment and decreases the chance of ejection from the car, one of the most fatal impacts of a car accident.

When someone is thrown from a car, they usually exit with significant velocity and momentum, finally stopping, in most cases, by hitting a static object. The injuries sustained are much more severe, have a much higher rate of head injuries, and dramatically increase the chances of death.

Over the last 4 decades there has been little debate over the value of wearing a seat belt when occupying a moving vehicle, whether the individual is the driver or simply a passenger.

Although there are laws in place in the State of Wisconsin that require the use of seat belts, we should do everything we can to encourage the auto industry to go a step further and design cars that will not start unless all occupants have their seat belts on. It's extremely difficult to be ejected from a car that isn't moving.

Seat belt use is not a matter of choice or just an inconvenience. In Wisconsin, it's the law and this law is here to stay.

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Randy Rozek is a personal injury attorney based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His firm's Wiscosnin Personal Injury Website delivers pertinent information to those who have been injured by a negligent party. The website also features FREE Consumer Guides to Personal Injuries, Accidents, and Insurance in Wisconsin.

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