A seat belt in the back seat reduces deaths by 75 percent!

According to the World Health Organization Global Road Safety Report, 50 percent of drivers traveling with their private cars in Türkiye and 41 percent of those sitting in the front seat wear seat belts.

Head of Occupational Health and Safety Department Asst. Prof. Rüştü Uçan stated that "The rate of reducing the risk of death and injury as a result of a possible traffic accident is 50 percent for drivers and front seat passengers and 75 percent for back seat passengers in post-accident deaths. In post-accident injuries, it reaches up to 77 percent."

Road and Traffic Safety Consultant Özgür Şener stated that "In the research of the 0-14 age group who died in accidents, while the death rate of children in accidents is 2 percent in European countries that require and supervise child seats, it reaches 40 percent in Türkiye."

Üsküdar University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Head of Occupational Health and Safety Department, Asst. Prof. Rüştü Uçan and Instructor at the Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Road and Traffic Safety Consultant Özgür Şener made evaluations on the use of seat belts.

A very important piece of equipment that ensures the safety and security of the driver and passengers

Stating that the seat belt is a very important safety equipment that ensures the safety and security of the driver and passengers traveling in a vehicle, Head of Occupational Health and Safety Department Asst. Prof. Rüştü Uçan said that "Although it is very easy to use, unfortunately, its use is not common in our country. In the World Health Organization Global Road Safety Report, Compliance with seat belts for those traveling with private cars in Türkiye was determined as 50 percent in drivers and 41 percent in front seat occupants. Unfortunately, the use of seat belts in the back seat is very rare. This rate is 98 percent for the driver and front seat occupants in Germany, 99 percent for the back seat occupants, 95 percent for the driver and front seat occupants in the UK, and 90 percent for the back seat occupants."

It allows the driver and passengers to stay in their seats in the event of an accident

Explaining that the seat belt is activated in adverse situations such as the driver hitting another vehicle or hard object, another driver hitting the vehicle you are driving, the driver losing control of the vehicle for some reason, and the vehicle overturning, Asst. Prof. Dr. Asst. Prof. Rüştü Uçan continued his remarks as follows:

"Imagine that you are driving a vehicle traveling at a certain speed and you are hit by another vehicle. Let the speed of the vehicle you are in be 50 kilometers per hour, which is the urban speed limit in our country. After this collision, your vehicle will quickly come to a stop as it is prevented from moving forward. If the driver and passengers inside the vehicle are not wearing their seat belts, they will move forward inside the vehicle at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour, which is the top speed of the vehicle. The occupants of the front seat will hit the dashboard and windshield of the vehicle and those in the back seat of the vehicle will hit the seat in front of them at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour. Unfortunately, it is not possible for the delicate human body to withstand this collision. Head fractures, neck fractures, being thrown out of the window of the vehicle, broken arms and legs while trying to hold on are unfortunately inevitable.

According to the 2022 accident data of the General Directorate of Security, the number of accidents involving death or injury without wearing a seat belt is 2 times higher than with the one with it. In fatal accidents, 24.8 percent of those who use seat belts survive the accident unharmed, while this rate is 6.3 percent for those who do not use seat belts."

Seat belts reduce backseat fatalities by 75 percent

Stating that the use of seat belts plays an important role in reducing the risk of death and injury as a result of a possible traffic accident according to the information of the World Health Organization, which conducts studies on seat belts (2008; 2013), Asst. Prof. Rüştü Uçan expressed that "The rate of reducing the risk of death and injury as a result of a possible traffic accident is 50 percent for drivers and front seat passengers and 75 percent for back seat passengers in post-accident deaths. In post-accident injuries, it reaches up to 77 percent."

"Passengers in the back seat must also wear seat belts"

Explaining that if there are passengers traveling in the back seat, it is not enough to have seat belts fastened in the driver's seat and front seat. Asst. Prof.Rüştü Uçan gave the following information:

"Backseat passengers must also wear seatbelts. In the event of an accident, backseat passengers will move uncontrollably towards the driver and passenger in front of them, injuring both themselves and the people in the front seat. According to traffic accident data for 2022; While 5 thousand 229 people lost their lives in traffic accidents in our country, 288 thousand 696 people were injured. As a result of 197,261 traffic accidents with death or injury that occurred in Türkiye in 2022, 2,282 people died at the accident site, and 2,947 people died within 30 days after being injured and referred to health institutions.

To make explicit these numbers to better understand, as many people die in traffic accidents every year as our people living in an average-sized district in our country. The population of Kırıkkale, Erzincan, Bilecik and Yalova provinces is as much as the number of people injured in traffic accidents every year."

Özgür Şener: "It prevents the driver and passengers from getting out of the vehicle"

Özgür Şener, Lecturer at the Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Road and Traffic Safety Consultant, stated that all the studies carried out are on the prevention of traffic accidents and continued his remarks as follows:

"However, even if there are the same number of traffic accidents with deaths and injuries, the use of seat belts alone will cause a significant reduction in deaths and injuries.

Why are seat belts so important? It keeps people stable in the cabin and in their seats. In this way, full protection of airbags found in many vehicles today is provided. It prevents the driver and passengers from getting out of the vehicle. It provides a gradual decrease in the shaking that occurs in the body due to the impact effect. It directs the impact that occurs in the event of an accident to the strongest points in the body structure. It ensures that the impact effect is not collected at a single point in the body and dispersed. It prevents being thrown out of the seat in the event of a crash / collision. It protects the head and spinal cord, where sensitive and vital organs are located, by preventing them from hitting anywhere."

If buying a second-hand vehicle, seat belts should be checked

Noting that before wearing the seat belt, it is necessary to make sure that there is no bend in the belt, Şener said that "After the seat belt is attached, the gap should be removed and full contact with the body should be ensured. For full contact, especially in winter, coats, and jackets should be taken off during travel, and the seat belt should be worn in that way. To avoid neck injury, the seat belt should not touch the neck, but rest on the shoulder. If you are involved in an accident and the seat belts are activated, the seat belts should be replaced. If buying a second-hand vehicle, seat belts should be checked. Seat belts should be used without exception in all public transportation with seat belts, especially intercity buses."

"While child mortality in accidents is 2 percent in European countries, it reaches 40 percent in Türkiye"

Stating that the use of seat belts and appropriate auxiliary seats is very important to ensure the safe travel of babies and children, Road and Traffic Safety Consultant Özgür Şener concluded his remarks as follows:

"According to the data of the World Health Organization, in the research of the 0-14 age group who died in accidents, while the death rate of children in accidents is 2 percent in European countries that require and supervise child seats, it reaches 40 percent in Türkiye. When transporting children shorter than 150 cm and weighing less than 36 kg, it is mandatory to have and use a child seat. Children over 135 cm can sit in the back seat wearing seat belts, if they are not in the front seat. For children other than these criteria, baby and child seats suitable for their physical characteristics should be selected and used without exception on every trip. If the structure of the vehicle is suitable, preference should be given to child seats that are fixed to the body of the vehicle. If it does not have the ability to be fixed to the body of the vehicle, it must be properly secured to the vehicle seat with a seat belt.

Children's travel safety is the responsibility of their parents. It cannot be the preference of children not to sit in a child seat or not to use seat belts for some reason. The use of seat belts is not a choice, but a necessity. Maybe once in your life, you need it and it protects your life in that moment."

 

Üsküdar News Agency (ÜNA)