Wearing seat belt is an essential road safety tip. While some don’t wear seatbelt at all, many others wear these seat belts just to avoid being penalized by road marshals. Wearing of seatbelts while driving is for your own safety and here are the benefits of wearing seat belt

1. Seat Belt saves lives:

Seat belts save lives. The fact remains that seat belt have been proven to reduce mortality rate in accidents by 40-50% for drivers and front seat passengers and 25% for other passengers.

2. Keeps you in place during impacts.

The seat belt keeps you in your seat, not thrown through the windshield or thrown loose in the vehicle. That is to say if you are traveling at 80km/h you are likely to be thrown through the windshield at 80km/h in case of an impact. There are chances of more serious injuries if the seatbelt is not worn.

3. Is designed to work with your airbags.

The airbag in vehicles are not effective if you are not wearing your seatbelt. Thus there will be no airbag to cushion your impact if you are not wearing your seatbelt.

4. Keeps you from receiving a fine for not wearing one.

There are laws against not wearing seatbelts while driving. In Nigeria, if you are found wanting by the road marshals, you will be fined.

5. Affects auto insurance.

In some countries, not wearing a seatbelt during a crash could affect your auto insurance. Your auto insurance could skyrocket or your insurance canceled if you are constantly getting tickets for not wearing seatbelts. If you are in an accident, regardless of fault, your insurance policy may have a clause that states you will not be reimbursed for any damages, both personal injury and vehicle damage, if you were not wearing your seat belt.