To understand the value of safety belt use, it's important to understand someof the dynamics of a crash. Every motor vehicle crash is actually comprised ofthree collisions.

The Car's Collision
The first collision is known as the car's collision, which causes the car to buckle and bend as it hits something and comes to an abrupt stop. This occursin approximately one-tenth of a second. The crushing of the front end absorbs some of the force of the crash and cushions the rest of the car. As a result, the passenger compartment comes to a more gradual stop than the front of the car.

The Human Collision
The second collision occurs as the car's occupants hit some part of the vehicle.At the moment of impact, unbelted occupants are still travelling at the vehicle's original speed. Just after the vehicle comes to a complete stop, these unbeltedoccupants will slam into the steering wheel, the windshield, or some otherpart of the vehicle interior. This is the human collision.

Another form of human collision is the person-to-person impact. Many seriousinjuries are caused by unbelted occupants colliding with each other. In a crash,occupants tend to move toward the point of impact, not away from it. People inthe front seat are often struck by unbelted rear-seat passengers who have become high-speed projectiles.

The Internal Collision
Even after the occupant's body comes to a complete stop, the interal organs are stillmoving forward. Suddenly, these organs hit other organs or the skeletal system. This third collision is the internal collision and often causes serious or fatalinjuries.

So, Why Safety Belts?
During a crash, properly fastened safety belts distribute the forces of rapiddeceleration over larger and stronger parts of the person's body, such as the chest,hips and shoulders. The safety belt stretches slightly to slow your body down andto increase its stopping distance.

The difference between the belted person's stopping distance and the unbeltedperson's stopping distance is significant. It's often the difference betweenlife and death.

Excerpts from "Sudden Impact," NHTSA, 1992.

Any other questions? Contact the National Safety Belt Coalition at 1025 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 1200, Washington, DC 20036; (202) 296-6263; (202) 293-0032 (fax). Send an e-mail to: buckle1up@aol.com