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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1975-11-27, Page 25IIS, ... ,. ..,, � :, , c. •. ,. ... , 1. ,. ,.. _ .. - .— , , t , f h , 1 1 N < a , 1 h< , I •' .t u .." .. . r. ... .: .' 1 , .,.... ',. ., .';,-: 1 ., ".'. .. ' . ;: :... .' '' 1. p THE HlJkiDN n XP SlTE� ', .i1lO,V ,i fl 7, ' T '•- 7kil g EC''ION UA k ,. y7 -",X , . r d P 4on nar .,a- , l o , scv say yourn. .. F .. , , e •: . . .... ...... . to yur fif Most of us risk our lives '.evdr1y cars 'were -hardly ,damaged at all < car windows. drip$,' buckle up before the officer get to _¢WP praxniufis olid taxes felt the day. but occupants had broken necks Some people fear that a seat Newspaper articles and buckle , your car." negligence of .others:. In effect.' ` , belt will tra a We live dangerously if we are from being tossed around by the, p them in a car. That's up campaigns can reach a few but :But, once the law's there, those people who wp r,seatbelts.pay for among the 82% of rural and impact. a fallacy, Dr. Brady -says. For _ Dr.Brady feels that ' only who break it can be fined, just as • ' urban drivers, or b5%. of highway As coroner for 12 years the every one accident victim who legislation will make all of us th6se who speed and get caught the injuries of tbo&e, who :don't,., drivers who don't wear seat beltsdoctor has investigated a lot of Of '.was harmed "by wearing a seat wear , our belts., u� can. be fined. "Then we are Millions of .dollars in :OHIp A car driver who is not wearing accident deaths. What he's see belt, he can point to .50 who were Legislation worked in Australia ' � .�•• n-` P g responsible if we break the law," costs could.be, saved every .year if a seat belt is more than twice as has made him a convinced saved. 4ndDr. Brady is sure that it will the doctor says. everyone wore ,seatbelts; l)r; likely to be killed when his'car is crusader for seat belts. He can The Ontario Ministry of work here. The government has to say that Brady says. Some. insurance in an accident than a belted give many examples of accidents. Transportation says rather than The number of people killed on People who don't wear seat' belts companies already offer more driver, Ontario statistics 'show. where seat belts saved people trapping people, seat belts help Autralian roads i&1974 was 26 are at fault and 'put some teeth dollar coverage to ,people 'whp Yet, few of us wear seatbelts from "serious injury If not them to remain conscious and get per cent below the number who into it, he says. The Australian wear seatbelts; the doctor, says, compulsory equipment on all c�r's death." out of a burning or sinking car would have been killed without law provides for a fine of $25 for "If : people not wearing i. made 'after 1967. A man and his wife were- quickly. No belted drivers died in the law. As soon as the Australian not wearing a belt. seatbelts could be charged in an , G 4 But, starting in January, the driving in a camper truck when a car that burned or was law was passed seat belt use rose There is some talk, Dr. Brady accidents and found partly (� Ontario government will put an the vehicle was caught by a cross submerged in 1973 in Ontario, . to 30 per cent, even though there says; of making people who are responsible for their own injury, l end to our risk taking. They are wind.. The truck rolled and landed Only 43 belted drivers died in car ' was a month's amnesty, and use injured in car accidents .pay a think people would wear them, " introducing a law to make seat upside down in a ditch. The only accillents, most of them high has continued to climb. O belt wearing mandatory. injury in what could have been a ,seed head on and side collisions. fine, if they are not dnearing belts. Dr. ,Brady says. �f g Y l P b Maybe when people see that' An approach like that might be He points to the remarkable It should have been done long fatal accident was a bruise on the Dr. Brady says that seat belts their government is so convinced useful Dr. Brady says, to make declilne in smoking• as proof that ago, many informed people feel. man's little \finger. Both Were were a revotuticurary discovery in that seat belts will save lives that people realize that by not "you can change people's Seaforth general practitioner . wearing seat and shoulder belts. the campaign to save lives in they are willing to legislate their wearing seat belts they cost all minds." He used to goto medical ,° and Huron County coroner, Dr. In February'a man and his, wife accidents. But people don't use, the will start wearing them, The unbelted occupant is stilt moving at 30 m h after the car Y g OIi1P subscribersilnoney. conventions, he says, where the ' P g P Paul Brady has favoured and their three, year old' boy were realize how valuable they are. Dr. Brady agrees. Or perhaps ' The fact that people who don't smoke would be so thick that you has been stopped by the crash, His hands fly up, leaving his mandatory seat belt legislation driving into Seaforth from the Public awareness campaigns people are basically law obeying wear seat belts receive tar more couldn't see the screen at the chest open for a crushing blow from the steering wheel. for years. west. A car veared-_in front of like "Buckle Up" have pushed and wouldn't flaunt the law once injuries in accidents than people front of the room. Now, ip a Dr. Brady has seen the carnage them and sideswiped their car. them, but still most of us don't it was passed. who buckle up, means that all' of meeting of 500 or 600 doctors, that results when unbelted people "The right side of their car was wear them. them. People tell him that The Seaforth cbron an't us are paying more, through nobody smokes. have car accidents. Two �{ s were stove in and the rear. window was- they dont want to bother"', that understand why e 'Ontario in the back seat of a car w�tn the broken," Dr. Brady says. The it's "too much trouble" or that government backed own on its � e t e driver left the road and struck a whole family wore seat belts and they reel restricted. planned Intro d ion of a culvert. Both were thrown around the only injuries were some little The doctor says he rides more mandatory seat elt use last year. k inside the car and both were cuts on the child. comfortably wearing a pelt than There was o beed ition but the killed. "l�itere wouldn't likely If they hadn't been wearing without one. He feels less tired government • to have °.°•'•'.. have been a: .mark on •them if• seatbelts, Dr. Brady says he and strained and' weath,-_a itwell when they'd been -wearing seat belts," would have expected broken says the belt holds him straight they suddenlyup. Dr. Brady said. bodes, serious gashes and the against the car seat. "I always =ume argue that the seat belt He's seen accidents in which victims being thrown against the put a seat belt on, even for short ,tie law would be unenforcaple. Dr. Brady agrees that the law can't force everyone to wear a / th, �, -• •• belt and that'spot checks woulda h U a n CoS Qn be seless. "You could just - i O~ f that oes the amage Peopie don't realize that the damaged by the human collision - , the ear's interior when it stops. worst injuries in `a car accident �' by a peisbn striking it with his The Ministry of Transport says ' don't come from the impact of head or body. the difference between the belted ariether car or a tree or a pole with Researchers compare the person's stopping distance and their car. Injuries happen just impact of a 15 mph crash on an ,the unbelted person's stopping ' _' `' ° ;°� '.`°� ;•� ✓ �- - - after the crash . and they' are unbelted occupant to that person , distance is the difference between t caused by the,.hutgatt•colllsionG, running full speed into a Steel 4;fe and death. The car's collision comes first post. ' .. . , ,. .. . .. T e lap belt is better thanbut the human collision, a When a head that is still'' 1 ngPerson s bodyor head hitting Part moving ast •hit a ste nothing, but the shoulder belt should be use too Together they of the car, is more deadly. lun or a hard knob inside the ooa� °oO O D ° �0 °0 aa ° t In a crash your car, travelling at car, severe injury can result, even keep a person in his seat and say 30 mph, is suddenly stopped y distribute the force of a collision in a relatively minor crash. Dr. when it hits the other vehicle or Brady gave an example of a car over the hips and shoulders the Parts of the body .that best °° ; ' °' an obstacle. The people inside that came through an accident can u ° ° ° your car are also travelling at 30 without a mark ori it but an withstand the force. mph,, unbelted occupant got a broken Children should be belted, not The sudden stop doesn't stop neck. held • on someone's lap, where occupants and the are hurled More padding and safety the can be crushed b another g g ® O p y y y When a child who is not wearin a seat belt is'in .an auto accident, he is thrown a ainst the dashboard forward,^or around in the car, at features within the car can only body or thrown through the or windshieid. He'll probably have serious head injuries — 47.7% of those killed' in car accidents do. 30 mph. That's the human help so Serious injury windshield. field. Ch r1dr en under ft ve , collision the crash ofPeo people's' result when an occupant's d and weighing hin g less than 50 `. .. 1 d bodies against the windshield or hits a well padded dashboard at pounds, should be put in a special `--� When a car'bits a solid object at 30 mph its front is crushed other parts of the car, happens. 30 mph. safety tested car seat. and slowed down. The seat belt wearing passenger is also slowed Anyone who has been in a car down and can. gradually absorb the *impact of the crash, People in the front seat can Y The Ministry of Transport has get serious neck or spinal injuries accident knows something of the the whole seat belt story available hat d from rear seat passengers flying force which hits the passenger's in an excellent booklet called youllhink • forward. body. Coming out of'a car, that "The Human Collision". had skidded.on ice on 401 and Injuries in car accidents don't rolled over three times, this It says that 12.5 percent of all n• ' � • ' I 1 .k'b I WY '...: Ai a ,`'" :, x� >�YI% . _ These illustrations come from a come from actual body contact, reporter felt as if she had played the people living to Ontario, with the other car •,or the tree. footbal for several days straight. will be injured or killed in booklet , The Human Collision, That is rare. Injuries happen All the occupants of that car accident within the next 10 years.K when your body getsthrown wore seat and shoulder belts. Over a lifetime, a person has • available from ^the Ontario around in the inside of your own Seat belts prevent the fiuman more than a 50/50 chance of car or thrown out of the car onto collision.. Occupants of a crashing being injured in a car accident. Ministry of Transportation and- the road or a ditch. car are held in their seats and can e � T ' senger compartment of tolerate the abrupt change in As MTC points out there is a , jY a car'usually is not damaged _by speed that happens on simple way to cut your risk by �t Communications. the vehicle's collision, impact. The belted person stops more than one half. r researchers have found. The more slowly, along with the car, It's to wear y our seatbelts, every passenger compartment is , rather than being thrown against time you go for a ride in ttie'car., Roof 12 % t J Mrs Helen Nolan also of John Patterson of Seaforth St.Columban didn't like the belt Richard Stewart of Seaforth thought "both are a good idea." legislation either. She thought thought the new seat 'belt and there would be less chance of g When the new legislation is speed legisla tion was "basically Windshield frame 20'/. passed he said he would "likely injury "if you were thrown free of P .,� Y a good idea, and should cut down, use the seat belt." In the odd case an accident•" i on'the amount of injuries on our he pointed out that seat b%ts highways," Winshield 8 Y might be hazardous in ai► accident, However in most cases ' he thought seat belts wpuld "stop you going through the wind - Steering 30% shield".' assembly Instrument panel 1191 Hood 5% Exterior of car and surface of outside the ,a side interior car 30'/a • O � 0 0 0' � • w Y.. 9a�vyee 5 The Expositor asked r people on Main St[ - Mrs. Allan Nicholson of x ,3 Egmondville thought the new a j what they thought nA �a 'legislation was a good idea, John Crich, Se'a%lith, tom' 'ice%� especially the lowering .of, the think its wonderful. `lt s a good about the new seat Faye • speed mph, However, around". Austialla`s .Mrs. Albert of St limit to SO H idea all Columban said "the lower speed she pointed out that inanv people experience: has ltoved'th$t a stint speed limit is okay", but thought the like her husband have to get in belt law save's lives and loweired belt ands p seat belt legislation was stupid. and out of their cars all day. In speed limits in B.C. and in the The inside compartment of a car can be lethal t6 occupatits not injuries caused by the steering wheel, etc.' can't get used to them", she this case she'thought Neat belts U.S, have cut traffic; aceld hitt ho wearing seat belts. The diagram shows the ,percentage -of fatal r$g I s la t i o n . said. would be a bother. added.