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What happens if you’re in a car crash without a seatbelt on?
I’ve always been told how important it is to wear a seatbelt in case of a crash. But I don’t really see how it would help that much. What actually happens if you’re in a crash without one on?
Patrick Price · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Not wearing a seatbelt dramatically increases the chance that you’ll suffer a serious injury or even die in a car crash. If you’re in a major car crash without a seatbelt on, three things will happen in rapid succession:
- First, your car will collide with the stationary object or the other vehicle that you’re in the crash with.
- Since your seatbelt isn’t on, you’ll keep moving. It’s important to remember how fast your body is actually traveling when you’re in a car. On impact, the car will stop but you’ll keep going—at least, until you collide with some part of your own vehicle (the windshield, dashboard, or the headset of the seat in front of you if you’re in the back). This will be the equivalent of an object smashing into you at whatever speed you were traveling.
- Finally, the third and worst part. We like to think of ourselves as a single self-contained unit—but like the car itself, we’re made up of many parts. In the same way that you kept moving when the car stopped, your internal organs will keep moving when you stop. Your heart, liver, and other important organs will all run into your bones with the same degree of force.
Oddly enough, your best chance of survival in a situation like that is to be flung free from the car—which is extremely unlikely. Even if that happens, you’re still likely to risk death. It all depends on what (if anything) you collide with after flying through the windshield.
In short, if you’re in a severe car crash without your seatbelt on, there’s a good chance you’ll die. If you do survive, you’re looking at a long road of recovery ahead.
Keep yourself safe and wear a seatbelt. And, while you’re at it, keep your car (and wallet) safe by using **
Jerry
**—the #1 rated insurance super app
—to find all the best deals on auto insurance coverage! Drivers who use Jerry to shop for great deals save an average of $800+ a year on
the cost of car insurance
. Of course, this doesn’t compare to the fact that seatbelts save an average of 15,000 lives a year! View full answer
- Gregory R.
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Jerry partners with more than 50 insurance companies, but our content is independently researched, written, and fact-checked by our team of editors and agents. We aren’t paid for reviews or other content.
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