But this story illustrates the real design behind seatbelts, as they were developed back in the 50s.
Seatbelts are not for your protection. If you ever sat behind the wheel of a car from the 50s with the seatbelt on (lapbelt), you’d know that the steering wheel is going to knock your teeth out if you ever crash.
The design of the seatbelt is to keep you behind the steering wheel so that you can maintain/regain control of the vehicle if you lose control or are in an accident.
In this regard, it’s a pretty good idea to wear one.
I went to an accident years ago (newspaper reporter) where two guys lost control and went off the right shoulder. Their vehicle started up a steep embankment and they were both thrown through the driver’s window and out onto the highway. They were immediately run over by a vehicle behind them.
When I arrived one guy was lying in the middle of the road covered by a sheet. Then I noticed a long red streak going down the road and ending at the vehicle that hit the the two. Yep, the second guy waas wedged under the vehicle and had been dragged down the road.
Somehow, the dead guys’ vehicle was barely damaged. The trooper told me they could have driven it away if they had been wearing seatbelts.