Without your safety belt you have all the freedom in the world to crash into your windshield, to slam into another person, or to be thrown from your car and slide along the pavement. Freedom is great. On average it takes 2.5 seconds to buckle up. Seat belts are the most effective safety devices in vehicles. Without wearing a seat belt, a 35 m.p.h. crash is the equivalent of falling from a third-story window .
Most serious crashes happen close to home.
When a car is in a crash and you re not wearing your safety belt the car suddenly stops but your body continues to move forward. Some people think that they are strong enough to brace themselves with their arms in the event of a crash. You see the faster you are moving, the harder you will hit an object like a dashboard or windshield . To calculate how hard you would hit an object you need to multiple your weight times how fast you are moving. Here is another example Think about a one-pound tissue box sitting in the rear window .