Articles About Getting Clean Credit

Your Money, Your Life, or Your Seat Belt

A seat belt is one of those things in life that just doesn't make sense to about 40,000,000 people in the United States. After all, freedom of choice is the Free World cornerstone and when it comes to our automobiles, we want to ride them any way we choose.

"Liberty or death!" shouts a protestor on the nightly news. He values his God-given Freedoms to drive without fear of an illegal search and seizure. "The people," he contends, "aren't idiots and can govern their own safety." Courts determine whether driving without a seat belt is a Right or a Privilege, but "by God we will defend our freedoms 'till our dying breath."

Unfortunately, that's just what happens each year.

What these people don't realize is just what choice they are making when they drive without a seat belt wrapped around everyone in the car.

Government and industry have sponsored multi-million dollar safety seat belt awareness campaigns for decades. Usage has climbed, but only slowly through the years until recently.

It's easy to recognize at least one popular national slogan:

• Buckle Up For Safety

• Seat Belts Save Lives

• Buckle Up America

Officer Friendly would appear in class to teach all about car safety. He didn't come into every room, so some of us were indoctrinated with second hand playground news.

State sponsored campaigns are less well known.

Missouri had the lowest state seat belt usage as the year 2000 approached according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA). Only 60% of Missourians wore seat belts, so in a $300,000 concerted research effort, the State of Missouri studied advertising strategies that would appeal to all age groups. Radio stations received Public Service Announcements, 64 local newspapers printed press releases while two carefully selected slogans were printed on 26 billboards that read:

• It takes 3 seconds to buckle up. Dead is Forever

• You think a zit is bad? Try a windshield.

Did the State of Missouri reach the target audience?

Results: Seat belt usage among all age groups ...

• Escalated to nearly 68% about equal to the national average at the time.

What was the real success?

Hundreds of lives were saved yearly and serious injuries were avoided.

"Click It... Or Ticket" kicked off in May of 2003 as the latest national seat belt campaign with a starting advertising budget of $25 million paid for by the US Government. That's a lot of money to begin an advertising campaign about seat belt usage. Was the purpose to really save lives, build up local treasuries, or just advertise? The results easily speak for themselves...

Safety belt use in the United States rose to almost 80% in 2004(the highest single year increase) up from 58% in 1994. An additional 10% rise in safety seat belt use could save an estimated 8,000 more lives per year and prevent more than 100,000 traffic related accident injuries.

It's estimated that more than 14,000 lives had been saved with seat belt use in data compiled by the NHTSA for 2002. And of the almost 33,000 passenger vehicle occupants who were killed during the same period 59% weren't wearing a safety seat belt. (NHTSA).

This isn't a near 50:50 chance that you'll be killed with or without a seat belt. Serious injuries far exceed deaths. There are almost 7,000,000 car accidents in the USA alone each year. Almost 3 million people are injured. Thousands of those injuries are preventable with proper seat belts. See statistics: www.car-accident-advice.com

The NHTSA estimates that had all vehicle occupants over the age of 4 been wearing safety seat belts,

7153 more people would be alive.

Those are brothers, sisters, mothers, and fathers.

Statistics are people.

Does it really sound that simple?

Wear a seat belt to significantly increase the chance of surviving a car accident.

People are creatures of reminded habits who participate when threatened with economic loss. The Click It... Or Ticket campaign primarily advertised an aggressive ticketing effort by local police departments.

The campaign doesn't include shocking video footage showing ejected car accident victims. There aren't many hard-hitting statistics such as:

In 2002, 73 percent of passenger car occupants who were totally ejected from the vehicle were killed.

-NHTSA

The primary cause of death for people aged 4 to 34 is car accidents.

-National Center for Health Statistics

In 2000 total economic cost of motor vehicle accidents in the US is equal to 2.3% of Gross Domestic Product or almost $820 per US resident.

-NHTSA

We all pay.

Yet the "shock & awe" techniques have been used over and over in previous education campaigns.

The choice a person has to wear a seat belt without threat of economic loss is a luxury because statistics bear it out. The chances of receiving major injuries during a serious impact without a seat belt increase twenty-five times.

There must be other reasons why a person would gamble life and money over the use of a seat belt. Most adults have heard all this before.

"Seat Belts are uncomfortable" - Complaint 1

Today's seat belts are adjustable. Read your car documentation to make sure you're wearing them properly. The shoulder belt should never be worn under the arm or behind the head. That position almost guarantees injury in an accident. Seat belts are positioned to give you a range of useful movement and then to hold you in place should you exceed that range. However, a person still has freedom of choice: Wear a seat belt or become 1 of the 73% who is ejected. Comfort vs Risk.

"I'm a careful driver and have never been in an accident." – Complaint 2

Eight out of ten drivers will be in a car accident within the next 10 years.

Choosing to wear a seatbelt makes a lot of sense, because the facts explain the risk to your own life. Playing the odds in Vegas is better than playing the odds with your life.

"I have air bags all around my car. Why do I need a seat belt."

Air bags cushion impact. It's better to strike the deflating air bag than the immovable dashboard. However, a seat belt protects you from the air bag.

Airbags explode in front of you at 200mph.

An airbag deploys so fast that it seems to inflate and deflate before the explosive sound is over. When you move abruptly forward in a car accident, the safety seat belt stops you quickly as the air bag approaches your chest. Even with the seat belt on you may feel like someone punched you hard in the sternum a day or two after the accident. However, without the seat belt on, you risk serious injury from the air bag alone.

I was wearing my seat belt in a car accident when the air bag exploded into my chest. It took a dozen X-Rays to prove my sternum wasn't fractured, but the pain lasted for a month. Without the seat belt...

I'll let you use your imagination, but without the seat belt and the air bag?

I wouldn't be here. The car accident story is at www.car-accident-advice.com

'I don't drive far.' – Complaint 3

80% of traffic fatalities occur within 25 miles of home and under 40mph

'I just can't be bothered.' - Complaint 4

'I can't tell other people in my car to wear them.' - Complaint 5

'Seat belts rumple my clothes.' - Complaint 6

The list of complaints could fill this page, because a person's ability to rationalize what not to do has no bounds.

For those who don't wear seat belts, look to see if it's simply because you don't want to be told what to do by a police officer who is writing a ticket or by statistics that have been shouting the same message for decades.

Statistics in the use of safety seat belts, injury prevention, and lives lost are as clear as day.

MORE ARTICLES:

Personal Loans With Bad Credit- Getting Personal Loans With Bad Credit Has Never Been Easier
Are you in need of a personal loan? Are you afraid that because you have bad credit you will struggle to find a lender that will be able to help you? Getting personal loans with bad credit has never been easier because lenders are struggling to find business right now. There are so many foreclosure, repossessions, and bankruptcies with the downturn of the economy that they lenders need to make loans just to make money. This is good for those of us with bad credit and here are your loan options.

Debt Relief Credit Repair - Using Loans to Repair Bad Credit
If you are dealing with bad credit and you want to repair it, you should first search out a debt consolidation loan But if you have bad credit, what firm will help you acquire a loan to relieve your financial situation

Bad Credit Personal Loans - How To Get Approved For Bad Credit Personal Loans
Are you looking for a personal loan, but have bad credit? Do you need a loan for a car, debt consolidation, or any other reason whatsoever? If you have bad credit you will find it hard to get a good personal loan. Here is how to get bad credit personal loans without the hassle.

Bad Credit Home Loan - Apply Online and Keep Your Credit Score as High as Possible
If you have a poor or bad credit history with something in your past like a bankruptcy or a foreclosure, you know how difficult it can be when you try to get financing for a home mortgage purchase, refinance, home equity or second mortgage loan. Its important to be persistant in looking because there are home mortgage loans out there for people with bad credit.

Bad Credit Remortgage Loan: When Bad Credit Plays Mischief With Your Mortgage
Financial difficulties are married to bad credit. It is a tough marriage but can be peaceful with a little bit of counseling.

Bad Credit Cash Loans: Immediate Funds for People with Bad Credit Score
People with bad credit score are very similar to other people and their financial needs are similar too. For the above written reason bad credit cash loans are designed to meet the emergency needs of these borrowers. These are unsecured loans and used by the borrowers for their personal and small needs. These loans are used for paying medical bills, buying groceries, paying other payments and many more. The lenders do not interfere in the use of these loans.

Bad Credit Tenant Loans: Designed For the People Who Have Bad Credit Score
Tenant loans are designed keeping in mind about their capabilities. But tenants with bad credits are different and face more problems than tenants with normal credit score. So to give them a much needed respite in times of financial exigencies bad credit tenant loans have been fabricated.

Loan With Bad Credit - Debt Consolidation Loan to Help Towards Credit Repair
Debt consolidation loan is the type of loan that replaces your multiple debts It is a new loan that arises from the merging of your original loans and has much lower interest rates

Affordable Bad Credit Mortgage Loans - 3 Tips to Reasonable Bad Credit Mortgage Loans
Finding a mortgage loan with a bad credit rating can be an absolute nightmare: Driving from broker to broker, bank to bank, getting turned down every time, all the while your credit keeps dropping with every credit check. Fortunately, this painful process can be avoided with just a few simple tips.

Bad Credit and Home Equity Loans - What to look for in a Home Equity Loan
While it may seem like common sense to be able to get a loan on the value you've built up in your own home, getting a home equity loan with a poor credit score is usually not easy. Below are some tips on how to get a home equity loan, even with bad credit.

Student Loans With Bad Credit - Getting Student Loans With Bad Credit
Are you in need of student loans so you can start or finish a degree that you want? Do you want to advance in your job or career and make more money? Going back to college can be difficult and you might be thinking that you cannot get the student loans you need because of your credit. However, student loans with bad credit do exist and they are easier to get than you might think. Here are your options.

Bad Credit Home Financing - Get The Mortgage Loan You Want Even With Poor Credit
Having poor credit alone cannot hold you back from getting the home loan you want. Buying a home that is everything you want in a home, is a very exciting experience.

Bad Credit Unsecured Loans: Loans for Those with Bad Credit and No Collateral
Sometimes you may happen to fail to repay the market liabilities in proper time and lose your credit score. This labels you as a bad credit history holder. In this case it proves to be difficult for you to raise funds from the market to meet your financial needs. The lenders feel at risk to lend you money. The condition worsens when you have no collateral to place as a guarantee against the loan amount. For such needs bad credit history unsecured loans have been introduced. You need no assets as security deposit while applying for bad credit history tenant loans.

Credit Cards For People With Bad Credit, Poor Credit Or Poor Credit Score
Bad Credit is a term used to describe someone who is considered a "high risk" to lenders and other finance companies such as factors.