MYTH: If I wear a seat belt, I could be trapped in a car during a crash. Not wearing a seat belt could save my life!
FACT: Some people mistakenly think that being thrown clear of the car is their best chance for survival. Ejected occupants in motor vehicle crashes are four times more likely to be killed than those who remain inside. If you're thrown from the car, you could skid across the pavement, be dragged along with the car, be pinned or crushed by your own car or another vehicle, or be tossed into incoming traffic. Less than one percent of crashes involve fire or water, and even in those cases your best chance for survival is to remain restrained inside the vehicle, where you're more likely to be consious, uninjured and able to escape.

MYTH: Crashes are accidents.
FACT: The word "accident" creates an image of an event outside of human control. Crashes aren't accidents - they are the predictable and preventable consequences of specific actions, such as speeding, aggressive driving, or inattentive driving. You may think you're a safe driver - but what about the other guy? Since you can't control what another driver may do, your best defense is to protect yourself by driving defensively and making sure that you and your passengers are wearing seat belts.

MYTH: My car has an airbag -- I don't need to wear my seat belt.
FACT: People who have airbags might think they don't need safety belts, but they do. Airbags and lap/shoulder belts work together as a system, and one without the other isn't as effective. Crash-related deaths in vehicles with airbags are 12 percent lower among drivers with belts and 9 percent lower among belted passengers. An airbag alone may not adequately restrain a driver or front seat passenger, particularly in side-impact, rear-impact or rollover crashes. Seat belts also protect occupants from airbag injuries: the seat belt holds the occupant in place while the air bag deploys and then deflates.

MYTH: If I'm riding in the back seat, I don't need a seat belt.
FACT: Newton's Law says it all: an object in motion stays in motion until acted on by an outside force. If you're an unbuckled rear seat passenger in a car crash, that outside force could be the seat in front of you, the dashboard or windshield, or even another passenger. No matter where you're sitting, it's much safer for you and your fellow occupants if the force that stops you is your seat belt.

MYTH: If I get in an crash, I'll be able to see it coming and I can brace myself on the steering wheel.
FACT: Thirty mph may not seem very fast, but consider this: an easy way to approximate the force of a crash is to multiply the weight of your body by the speed of the car. Thus, it would take 3,900 pounds of force to keep a 130 lb adult from moving forward in a 30 mph crash. Think you're up to it?