Health Education Quarterly · 1984 · 11 citations · 1 references
Public HealthAutomotive EngineeringInjury PreventionOccupational HealthOccupational Injury PreventionVehicle Safety EngineeringInjury RiskMotor Vehicle Injury PreventionRoad SafetySafety DesignSeat Belt SystemsTraffic SafetyMotor Vehicle Crash Injury PreventionOccupant Injury MitigationSafety Device UseSafety Equipment UseSeat Belt Effectiveness
One in every five occupants thrown from a car receives fatal injuries. A motorist who uses a safety belt, in all probability, will not be thrown from the car during a crash. The rate of fatal injury for ejected occupants was found to be 40 times the rate for occupants not thrown from their cars, as determined from national accident sampling data. These data refute the popular notion that "being thrown clear" has survival benefit. In addition, there was no evidence that wearing a safety belt increased fatality risk from vehicle fire or submersion.
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