wear your seatbelt in the back seat

Nice family, very sad.....

http://www.lohud.com/article/2010101030329

I know of two "ejected out of the vehicle survivors", both recovered from injuries puttting them very close to death. Though it is tempting to tell your backseat passengers it is ok to lay down across the seat and relax,  getting in an accident and ejected from the vehicle is a reality, more common than one thinks. These days, most folk's cars/trucks have three point belts for their rear seat(s) areas. Please encourage your passengers to use them, as once tragedy strikes, there is no turning back. There is a shirt sold on the boardwalks at the Jersey Shore. It reads, "SH_T HAPPENS". Think about this the next time pasengers enter your vehicle, and make sure everyone including yourself buckles up.

One of the worst accidents I witnessed was last summer on the Jersey Shore, heading back from a friend of mine's birthday party in Belmar, NJ. Five responsible individuals, hired a taxi for transport, following a night out at a local club. I was first on the scene at the crest of a newly constructed bridge to see the recent (~30 seconds later) aftermath of the taxi getting hit head by a woman driving her SUV on the wrong side of the road. Both the taxi driver, and the woman were in shock. I estimated the combined impact at least 100mph impact between the two. The woman in the SUV was belted, had been airbagged,,same for the taxi driver and front passenger. They taxi passenger was injured, but not badly, the taxi driver seemed to be ok other than being in shock. The 4 young men and women in the back were not ok, as their bodies were scattered and twisted all over the rear of the vehicle. Believe it of not, the rear seat bottom of the taxi was on the roadway. Long story short, I called 911, attended to the occupants of both vehicles (I was formally trained in Advanced First Aid, as I was a Ski Patrol Candidate back in the day), and waited for help to arrive. I turned out all survived, as I placed a follow up call the next day to the police dept to get a read on the outcome. Had all been belted, things would have most probably been better, but thank goodness no one was ejected from the taxi, as things would have been worse if that happened, i.e. get hit by a passing vehicle or sustaining injury from the ejection itself.

Bottom line....Buckling up saves lives. Buckle up!

In addition to ejection from the vehicle, most people don't consider that an unrestrained passenger (in any seat) poses a threat to the safety of everybody else in the car.

This is a graphic UK PSA regarding this point.