The death of two software engineers in a car crash earlier this week has brought the focus back to the importance of seat belts.
The accident occurred when their car, with three other occupants, rammed into a BBMP garbage truck parked on the side of Balagere Road on Sunday night.
Though the police refused to comment on whether or not the occupants were buckled up, Dr Mirza Alamdar Ali, one of the doctors attending to the victims of the crash, wrote on X: “The only survivor with minor injuries was the one wearing seatbelt.” (sic)
Harman Singh Sandhu, founder of Chandigarh-based road safety NGO, Arrive Safe, says multiple studies have shown the effectiveness of seat belts. “It can reduce 50% of the impact on occupants in the front row and up to 75% on people sitting at the back. It’s the least one can do to guard oneself from uncertainties,” he says.
According to WHO, seat belts have saved more lives than any other road safety intervention in history.
Professor Venkatesh Balasubramanian heads the Centre of Excellence for Road Safety at IIT Madras. He explains how they work.
