Everyone has heard the story of the man who escaped a fiery death when his car burst into flames simply because he wasn’t wearing a seat belt. The story goes that an emergency services person told him he’d surely have been killed if he had buckled up because he’d have been trapped in his car. And ever since then, he’s gone without the protection of a seat belt and lived to tell the story (and perpetuate the myth). Lucky him. It doesn’t really work that way, and even if it did once, statistically, that’s all the luck he’s going to get.
The fact is strong statistical evidence proves that seat belts save lives. And a child, buckled safely and properly into an infant seat, is safer in that seat than in your arms. The forces from a crash are exponentially higher than while still. You’ve heard about G-forces, right? This isn’t a lesson in physics, so we’ll make it simple. Say you’re holding your chubby 10 lb newborn in your arms, and your spouse is driving on the highway at 60 mph. Out of nowhere, a truck crosses the intersection, and you’ve got only about 4 feet before you hit him, so he hits the brake hard. You, meanwhile clutch that little baby in your arms. Except that little baby doesn’t feel so little anymore; instead of 10 lbs, he feels like 300 lbs and that’s too much for you to hold onto. His unrestrained body will crash headfirst into your dashboard, and 300 lbs worth of force will crumple his skull and spine.
Still think you’re strong enough to hold a 10 lb baby? Think again.
Tip: Keeping your children safe is your number one priority. Would it not also be a bonus to couple this with affordable auto insurance?
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