Case Study

Mother and 2 sons injured when car hits pole

Two young boys and their mother were seriously injured when their vehicle veered off the road and slammed into a power pole. Neither of the boys nor their mother was wearing a safety belt. The two boys, ages 7 and 5, were taken by helicopter to Children's Hospital. The 7-year-old suffered a head injury and possible internal injuries; the younger boy suffered a broken leg.

Research has found that when front-seat passenger car occupants use safety belts, the risk of fatal injury is reduced by 45% and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury is reduced by 50%. For light truck occupants, the use of safety belts reduces the risk of fatal injury by 60% and moderate-to-critical injury by 65%.

In 2002 there were 42,850 vehicle related deaths; 19,103 of which were not wearing seat belts.  Over 4,200 lives could be saved each year if 90% of the US population wore seat belts.