Nearly 32,000 people in the United States die each year as the result of automobile collision. Now imagine how greater the number would be if you took away seat belts, shatter-proof windshields, and other safety features.
2011 marks the 45th anniversary of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. After publication of Ralph Nader’s scathing expose on safety standards in the automobile industry, Unsafe At Any Speed, Congress bowed to public pressure and passed the Act, which standardized vehicle design. It mandated that all new automobiles be built with safety features we take for granted today: safety belts, head rests, energy absorbing steering wheels, and shatter-resistant windshields.
It is hard to believe that merely a generation ago, the rudimentary and simple addition of two strips of nylon fabric and a metal fastener to an automobile has had such a profound effect on accident survivability. It is estimated that over 15,000 lives are saved annually by the use of seat belts. Conversely, of the near 32,000 people killed annually, over 60 percent of those fatalities could have been prevented by the proper use of a safety belt.