Seatbelts: 9,500 lives saved yearly

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Allison M. Boehm
  • 2d Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  
For many Airmen, June 3 welcomed another opportunity to engage in their daily routine--a typical Wednesday morning of waking up early and getting ready for work. But for one Airman at Hill Air Force Base, Utah, nothing was routine. 

Returning from a trip, the 19-year-old Airman realized he was running behind schedule. He rushed to his sports utility vehicle and began his drive back toward Hill, probably not worrying about anything but being late to work. However, he would never make it in that day. 

As he drove the SUV down I-15, the young Airman drifted off the shoulder of the road, overcorrected back to the left, and violently rolled the vehicle several times. In midst of the rollover, Airman Tyrando Satchell was ejected from the vehicle during the rollover. He was not wearing a seatbelt. 

First responders quickly rushed to the scene, Airman Satchell was taken in extremely critical condition by helicopter to Ogden's McKay Dee Hospital where his life was put into the hands of the medical professionals there. 

As fellow Airmen at Hill were able to go about their daily routine, Airman Satchell fought for his life. 

An Airman whose country depended on him to keep them safe now depended on a machine to keep him alive. 

After showing no signs of improvement, Airman Satchell was taken off life support and died shortly their after on the afternoon of June 4. 

More than 35,000 people die in motor vehicle crashes each year. About 50 percent of which could be saved if safety belts were worn. 

With the statistic that motorists are four times more likely to be killed or seriously injured when they are thrown from the vehicle than when they remain inside their vehicle, a seatbelt very well could have saved Airman Satchell's life. 

I knew Airman Satchell and was aware of how he died. But, I admit there are times I have driven since his death without wearing my seatbelt. 

Seatbelt laws are in place for a simple reason--to help protect individuals against an unfavorable incident. Seatbelts are the key safety measure that prevents a motorist from ejection from the vehicle should they get in an accident. The lap and shoulder combination seatbelts spread the crash forces across a large area of the body, and also allow the body to slow down gradually, as well as protect the head, neck and spinal column from injury. 

However, accidents of this magnitude on base are not a common occurrence, it is important to adhere to safety precautions and obey the rules of the road.
For individuals charged of operating a motor vehicle without wearing their seatbelt, not only is a ticket issued which is forwarded throughout their chain-of-command, the individuals driving privileges on base are revoked for seven days. If the driver is found operating a vehicle within those seven days, they will be banned from driving on base for two years. 

Although seven days may not seem like a long time, outcomes can be far worse.

When it comes down to the basics, drivers must understand the importance of always buckling up-- whether driving down a busy highway or just going around the corner to the shoppette. Seatbelts save lives.

Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior. 63% of people killed in accidents are not wearing seat belts. Wearing a seat belt use is still the single most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on America's roadways. 

Data suggests that education alone is not doing the job with young people, especially males ages 16 to 25 ¬ the age group least likely to buckle up. They simply do not believe they will be injured or killed. Yet they are the nation's highest-risk drivers, with more drunk driving, more speeding, and more crashes. Neither education nor fear of injury or death is strong enough to motivate this tough-to-reach group. 

Rather, it takes stronger seat belt laws and high visibility enforcement campaigns to get them to buckle up. 

Seat belts are the most effective safety devices in vehicles today, estimated to save 9,500 lives each year. Yet only 68 percent of the motor vehicle occupants are buckled. In 1996, more than 60 percent of the occupants killed in fatal crashes were unrestrained.
If 90 percent of Americans buckle up, we will prevent more than 5,500 deaths and 132,000 injuries annually. 

The cost of unbuckled drivers and passengers goes beyond those killed and the loss to their families. We all pay for those who don't buckle up ¬ in higher taxes, higher health care and higher insurance costs. 

On average, inpatient hospital care costs for an unbelted crash victim are 50 percent higher than those for a belted crash victim. Society bears 85 percent of those costs, not the individuals involved. Every American pays about $580 a year toward the cost of crashes. If everyone buckled up, this figure would drop significantly. 

By reaching the goal of 90 percent seat belt use, and 25 percent reduction in child fatalities, we will save $8.8 billion annually