The Paw Print
Seatbelts Save LivesWednesday, March 31, 2010 By Zachary Jaskulski
The number one killer of teenagers is automobile accidents. The reason for many of these deaths is because the victims were not wearing seatbelts. Sophomore Stevie Itsines was in an automobile accident earlier this year. He was driving home from his girlfriend’s house at around eleven o’clock at night when he fell asleep at the wheel. As he fell asleep he crashed into a pole off the side of the road. Shortly after, police arrived. He was not injured during the accident. Stevie says, “I remember closing my eyes and then right when I hit the pole I woke up.”The accident could have been a lot worse if he was not wearing a seatbelt. Many teens lose their lives each year due to these accidents. According to car-accidents.com, over 5,000 teens ages 16-20 die due to car accidents each year, and about 400,000 drivers ages 16-20 will be seriously injured. Car accident statistics indicate that at least four people involved in car accidents die every hour. Seatbelts greatly increase your survival rate in a car crash. Although a lot of teens wear their seatbelts, there are some that do not, whether they think they are pointless or because they just don’t want to put them on. In an effort to help the cause for teenagers wearing their seatbelts, students in SADD, or students against destructive decisions, had members stand in the front of the school with a bunch of candy and handed out a piece to everyone that was wearing their seatbelt in the car. SADD group member Sara Brown stated, “We thought this was a good idea, it might make kids actually want to buckle their seats.” In Stevie Itsines’s case, having his seatbelt on allowed him to walk away from the accident with only a small headache. Although the car was ruined, he was alright. “Having my seatbelt on really saved my life,” Stevie said, “I don’t know what would have happened if I didn’t have it on.” |