 Hi, I'm Tom Wood and I'm the Trauma Program Manager here at MidMichigan Medical Center in Midland. And I'm Kelly Jenkins, the Trauma Prevention and Outreach Coordinator. Today we're going to talk about the importance of wearing seatbelts. You know you have your seatbelt properly positioned when it crosses the major bones of your torso. So the shoulder harness is designed to cross the heavy bone, called the collar bone, as well as the chest bone, and then attach down at the base where your hip bones are located. Now the lap belt is designed to cover the lap, and most people don't understand that very often they end up wearing it around their waist, where there is no heavy bone to protect them. The lap belt should be pulled down to cover your hip bones or sit above your leg bones. So when you have the belts in those positions, you're safe and secure. It's true that the force of the accident may cause a serious injury, even when wearing a seatbelt. But studies have consistently shown that the seatbelt does reduce the injury in the same accident when compared to someone not wearing a seatbelt. You need to wear both the shoulder strap and the lap belt, because the shoulder harness keeps you from moving forward, and the lap belt keeps you from moving upwards, so that you stay secure in the vehicle, particularly if you're in a rollover. What we frequently see with children or people who are smaller in stature is because the seatbelt cuts across their neck, they pop it behind them, and that can be particularly dangerous in a crash. So make certain that all of your passengers and your children have the seatbelt across the chest. The concern is staying conscious enough to remove the seatbelt and remove yourself from the vehicle, and nothing will keep you conscious more in a car than having your seatbelt preventing the injury in the first place. Accidents that cause submersion or fire are one in a thousand at highest, and in my three years here at Midland, I've never seen a single patient come in with those injuries. Despite a popular myth, the most deadly crashes happen close to home, less than 25 miles, and under 40 miles per hour. So yes, it's important to buckle up at all times. National data shows a 50% reduction in fatality with the wearing of a seatbelt. Here in Midland, we show a reduction in injury in patients that actually come to our hospital here. Patients who don't wear a seatbelt are 30% more injured than those that do. They spend twice the length of time in our ICU and twice the length of time in our hospital overall. It's just as important for the passengers in the back seat of the car to wear their seatbelt as it is for those in the front. People can be ejected and or injured in the back seat, and they can also act as a missile and hit other people in the vehicle during a rollover or during a crash. So please, set the example as an adult, buckle up in the back, and make certain your children are buckled up. The idea that you're better off being thrown from the car is just a fantasy of landing on soft grass and flying through the air. The reality of it is, you're going to hit the windshield on your way out, maybe the top of the vehicle, the steering wheel, the dashboard, those are going to cause injury, and you're going to land on concrete or into another vehicle, or you're going to be partially ejecting, your vehicle is going to roll on you. You do not ever want to be ejected from your vehicle, and that's why you should wear a seatbelt. So in closing, we at MidMichigan Health would like to remind you that wearing seatbelts is not only the law, but it's what's best for you and your family.