Seat Belts Another Tragic Reminder
You’ve heard it before — seat belts save lives and reduce injuries in car wrecks. But this week’s news from the world of sports brings us a vivid example:
Derrick Thomas, the lightning-quick linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs, was driving two friends to the airport last weekend. The weather was treacherous and Thomas lost control of his car. The car skidded onto a median and, according to the Missouri Highway Patrol, flipped over at least twice.
One passenger, Michael D. Tellis, was thrown from the car and died at the scene. Thomas was critically injured — his spine fractured in two places and his legs paralyzed. The third occupant of the car, John C. Hagenbush, walked away from the accident with minor injuries.
The factor that determined the extent of injuries in this accident?
Seat belts. Hagenbush was wearing his. Thomas and Tellis were not.
This example is reminiscent of another celebrity accident more than two years ago: When Princess Diana’s car crashed in that Paris tunnel, only one of the four people in the car — the bodyguard — survived. He was the only one of the four wearing a seat belt.
These examples are vivid and convincing — and the media deserves substantial credit and praise for calling attention to the seat belt factor when reporting about injuries and death in highly publicized car crashes like these.
American consumers’ seat belt use has increased dramatically since auto manufacturers first introduced this life-saving technology in the l950s. Back then, seat belt use was very low — about l0 percent to l5 percent. During the l980s and l990s — with many states passing mandatory seat belt laws and public advocacy for seat belt use escalating — the percentage of users went way up. The most recent national data indicate that nearly 70 percent of Americans now regularly fasten their seat belts in passenger cars. But clearly there is room for improvement.
Do you know a friend, colleague or relative who does not use seat belts regularly? Perhaps they even brag about it, claiming that they don’t really need them or that they are not going to let “public health nannies” make decisions for them. If so, tell them the tale of Derrick Thomas and his two passengers. You may just end up saving a life.
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