Statistics show seat belts help reduce what?

Seat belts are specifically designed to enhance passenger safety during a vehicle accident, demonstrating significant effectiveness in reducing injuries. When seat belts are properly worn, they secure occupants in their seats, preventing ejections from the vehicle and minimizing the risk of impact with interior surfaces or other passengers. In accidents, this is instrumental in reducing the severity of injuries sustained.

While seat belts do not prevent collisions from occurring—meaning they do not directly impact factors like collision rates—they serve as a critical safety measure in mitigating injuries when crashes happen. Factors such as reaction time and speeding are related to driver behavior and vehicle dynamics, but they do not directly pertain to the primary function of seat belts, which is to protect individuals during a crash. Thus, the focus on injury reduction clearly aligns with the role that seat belts play in promoting occupant safety.