Seat Belt Use and Traumatic Brain Injury

Traumatic brain injuries cannot be cured in any traditional sense, that brain damages can never truly be cured. Measures to prevent brain injuries are always the best method in the fight against brain injury. Also, as a result of the fact that the number one cause of traumatic brain injuries among American less than 75 years old is car accidents, anything that reduces the possibility for serious injury in an auto accident is a step toward avoiding a brain injury. Seat belts have been shown to not only dramatically reduce fatalities in auto accidents, with 73 percent of survivors in serious car accidents being those who wear their seat belts according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but also to reduce the risk of incurring a traumatic brain injury. According to a major brain injury study conducted in 1997, 46 percent of brain injury patients whose injuries were the result of motor vehicle accident were not wearing their seat belt.

Why Wear A Seat Belt?

Only one state in the U.S. does not require adults to wear seat belts: New Hampshire. Many other states make exceptions to their seat belt requirements for children under a certain age, or for those sitting in the back seat of the car. While some Americans believe that using seat belts can actually increase a driver or passenger's risk of traumatic brain injury, because the head is not restrained with the body, there is no evidence to support this theory and some evidence against it. Similarly, some argue that seat belts make users less safe by trapping them in the car in case of an accident, rather than allowing them to be thrown clear. However, the NHTSA notes that in 2001, 75 percent of those who were completely ejected from a car during an accident were killed. One percent of those were using a seat belt.

Seat Belt Use and Costs of Traumatic Brain Injury

Not only can declining to use a seat belt increase the severity of an injury, but it also drives up the cost of treating that injury. The government of Maine showed in a six-year study that those who did not use seat belts had higher hospital bills and longer hospital stays that those who used a seat belt. During that period, the study reported, 850 hospitalizations, with a cost of $17 million, could have been avoided altogether if the patient had been wearing a seat belt. Unbelted victims were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized or die from a head injury. In addition, crash victims who were ejected from the vehicle were 41 times more likely to incur a fatal or serious brain injury, as opposed to those who were not ejected from the vehicle.

Proper Use of Seat Belts Can Reduce Risk of TBI

While seat belts can help prevent a traumatic brain injury, their effectiveness decreases when they are not used properly. Seat belts must be tightened to fit the individual using them. More than one person cannot ever use the same seat belt. If the seat belt is old or frayed, it is not safe and should be replaced. And adults should ensure that children who are under 4'9" and about 80 pounds use the special equipment they need to be safe. Infants and children under 40 pounds need a properly sized, properly belted car seat; older children should use a booster seat until they are big enough to use adult-sized lap and shoulder belts. There is also mounting evidence that children shorter than 4'9" should not ride in the front seat at all, due to the risk of injury from passenger-side air bags.

If you have suffered a traumatic brain injury, you may wish to speak with an experienced TBI attorney. Your brain injury lawyer can help you assess your potential claim, access resources and even gain compensation for your injuries and the costs of future medical care.