Can a seatbelt actually kill you it your wearing it in a accident?

Question

just and FYI;

the reason for posting this is i dear friend of mine was killed on 2.17.08 and there has been alot of talk reguarding what exactually caused his death. becasue the 3 other people in the car survived.some reports say that there was a seatbelt worn some say otherwise.this was a "headon colision" at highspead around a curve in the road. the diver crossed a doubble yellow line to pass another car. and what i dont understand is how 2 of the passangers could walk away with minor injurys that you could get from a bycycle accident and the other two either died or are in The ICU .

Answer 1

Rarely, but it's a great deal less likely to kill you than flying through a windscreen at speed.  Not to mention what you might do to other people in the car with you as you fly around at upwards of 30mph.

Answer 2

They just happen to be significantly less dangerous than not using them:

Answer 3

9 OUTTA 10 YOUR SEATBELT WiLL SAVE YOU THE ONLi TiME iT WiLL DO DAMAGE TO YOU iS iF YOU GET iNTO A HEAD ON COLLiSiON AT HiGH SPEEDS.

Answer 4

Everyone has heard of some story where their cousins neighbors friends nannys boyfriend was almost killed when hit by a train, but was thrown clear because he wasn't wearing his seat belt.

Are there really stories like that? Yes, I'm sure there are, but for every one like that, there are ten where the seatbelts saved lives, and I'm one of those.

Also - to the person who said "whip lash" is caused by seatbelts, whiplash is when your head snaps back when in accident (your head "whips around), causing neck and/or back injuries. Seat belts certainly won't increase the likelihood of whiplash, it can only reduce them.

Bottom line - go with the law of averages - wear them ALWAYS!

Answer 5

I suspect the person killed was killed IN SPITE of wearing the seatbelt not because of wearing it.

It can kill a person, but statistically you have MUCH better chance to survive if you wear one. The height should be adjusted properly so it restrains a body at the chest not the neck. I can imagine this would kill a person. That's what booster seats are for.

Those survivors are incredibly lucky to have been seating where they were.

Answer 6

I have a good friend who is retired from the Texas Highway Patrol. He said he never pulled a dead person from under a seat belt but pulled a h**l of a lot of dead people, who weren't wearing set belts, out of windshields and from under cars. I personally don't see how a seat belt could kill you. However an air bag can, if you don't have a seat belt on. Without a seat belt you can be thrown so that the air bag either doesn't protect you or breaks your neck. Seat belts DO save lives.

Answer 7

Yes ~ if the accident is one that would have caused your death regardless of whether you were wearing a seatbelt or not. Seatbelts have been proven to save lives far more often than they've taken them.

Answer 8

Possible, but highly unlikely.  If you use the one person who dies as an example instead of the hundeds of thousands who are saved, you set yourself up for death in an accident.

The bottom line, a belt holding you in place can prevent you from being splattered all over the road, or a wall, like a bottle of old spaghetti sauce, after flying through the windshield.

I was in a serious accident some years back.  My neck was broken because of the angle of the collision.  However, without the seatbelt, prety much every bone in my body would have broken, and my head would have been smashed like an over-ripe melon.  Wear your seat belts, always.

Most people killed or injured while wearing belts were either in vehicles going such ridiculous speeds that the body could not possibly absorb the impact, or they were in a vehicle like an F-150 that has lousy passenger compartment protection.  There are also people that don't wear the belts properly, ensuring they cannot do an adequate job of lifesaving.

Answer 9

if your car goes underwater and the belt won't come loose it's going to make you drown.

Answer 10

Yes, it's possible.

But not as possible as dying from going through a windshield.

Answer 11

Yes, but it's much more likely to save your life.

Answer 12

Depends, but yes, it is possible

Answer 13

It is a remote POSSIBILITY that a seatbelt could be found to be the cause of death in a collision, but, any sort of impact in which THAT might occur would undoubtedly kill the passenger from his hitting something inside the car, or, from being ejected.  In other words, if the passenger's chest was crushed from the seatbelt, he would have died anyway from another cause.

The UNDENIABLE fact is that seat belts SAVE a lot of lives.  NOT wearing a seatbelt during a collision increases the chances of injury and death.

As the cliche' advises:  "Do the math!"

Answer 14

If it fits you right, there is a very slim chance, but if you are a child or a smaller person and the seatbelt hits somewhere around your neck: it might just kill you.

Answer 15

Yes...The higher the vehicle speed, the greater liklihood of injury...If the vehicle is traveling at 65 mph, the occupants are going 65 mph, too - belted or not...For example, if a 180 lb human is in a vehicle going 65 mph, the human has over 25,400 ft-lbs of kinetic energy...And in a collision, the seat belt locks and absorbs that energy...The damage to the chest cavity and internal organs in the upper torso can be massive...I haven't figured out yet which is worse - dying or spending the rest of my life paralyzed or in a coma.

Answer 16

you are more likely to die if you are not wearing one

Answer 17

Yes, it can - if you are wearing it improperly, but at least 80% of the time it can save you.

Answer 18

Can't say I have heard of that happening, unless somebody isn't wearing it properly, it's usually just leaves you with 'whip lash'.

Answer 19

It can kill you in that it may not unstrap and your car can catch fire. Then you burn to death. That sucks.

But, it'll save you from hitting your head. When I was a freshmen in highschool, an upperclassmen got into a car accident and wasn't wearing his seat belt. His head hit the wind shield and he is now a vegetable. Can barely talk, needs to be taken care of more than a baby. Sucks.

Answer 20

Like they said, it really depends on the situation. I saw in the newspaper about a month ago, a man from WV was killed when he hit another car head on. The man wearing the seat belt was killed instantly by the impact. The other man (who was very lucky) was not wearing his seat belt was thrown from his vehicle and survived (not comfortably i'm sure).

So, yes, it can definitely kill you. But more than likely, a seat belt has a much better chance of saving you than it does in killing you so buckle up.

Good Luck

Answer 21

yes, stop wearing them.

Answer 22

it depends i was in a car accident and we weren't wearing our seat belts and it resulted in my best friend and little sister's death i suppose it could happen but as advice WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!