virsight hearing - Motor Vehicle Hazard Archive Project

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have had so far, I would say you're better off without it than with
rt.
If it rides down on lhe pelvis where it's supposed to be, then l
*outJ.ov ust il as opposed to nothrng und the r"irson I say that is
ii-ii.. frilfr. in", s when it cuts jn and does the danrage that all of
these ---tvt.. L-3, L-4 liactures I've cited to you (rccur.
tltitt*olt. Of all the carses you've handled, how many have
been the result of wearing the lapbelt-only versu-s hovv many you
have had which were due to wearing nothing at all..' .
Mr. SlxevlN. Well, I haven't taken a case where a person
wasn't wearing an1'thing at all, I mean these are only--
Mr- Ntnsor. Mr. Coben.
Mi. Cou"". Yes, sir, if I may speak i! that' I think there is an
obuio.r" er""ti. answer which i thlnk we ought to make and that is
i[i..-iiiE oUtiou. that in low speed crashes whether you are in the
ir,j"t ii'" car or in the back of'a car, you should be restrained You
should wear the available seatbelt syste-m and that-rncludes wearine
the lapbelt if that s all that's available to you we are not recorimendine
-- that people abandon the available salety s-vstems
Wttut *"'u." siyirig is that in higher speed crash environments,
and when I mean higher crash' we re talklng about- anlfthrng m
"*"""" of 30 miles an hour, there is an increased risk of harm to
;t;-;;;" who is wearing that lapbelt-onlv That doesn't mean
iiilt'ft. ooo"tt have somi benefit'from it, but it's an increased
risk. - ^-tfii.
Nt"t"o*. I have about 15 questions and if each question
t"ii". tlui lo"e to answer, I won't g'ei through very-many of them'
ilii r"i*i *-li ttiis questibn. If I w-ere to ta[e Mr' Sakavan's testi-
;-";;;;;l;it" ;.td-rolio- it, I could arge settins rid of seatbelt
laws -blp".irtiy' in every State in this country'
*ittt young childrei, - vou'll hurt them Most of the
oeopie baci< there'are young children and they are.more apt to
[;;'k]; ;p. Neb.uska to-ok oit the seatbelt law largelv- because ol'
it i" ou.ti.rtn. argument, and frankly. I think you re flirting with
;;;*;;. U-rtil y;u-get the other in hind, I certainlv wouldn't want
t a?, r.o"ttl"d oi 5av anvthing that would discourage people from
wearinq - seatbelts because I'm convinced lapbelts do help mone
than liarm and that's the point I was trytng to ^get--acrosa'
i'i-1 ."-*"'ii going to hat e another round are we not? oK, other'
$'ise-- "frr.
Km-uv. Mav I just address a brief comme-nt to.that,. Mr'
Ni"i'"l"ii1TI'tl* -i1" liue"av of this situation is that it's a "pick
;;#;;i";";;';i;;ii;" f;; tti" p"i.o" l" it'u u"'t. seat rhe fa6t of
iiJ'"i"tL.-i" lii t"me crashes you ure *otse off and more, r'ulnera'
;i; ;;-;;;ih ;;d lnjurv with ihe lapbelt than.without' In others
uou u." not. I thinli our position is emphatically that we wart to
iiii'i'rit"'iii"i ;;;i;; "; iapidlv as posdible and'one. component of
;ii;;;;ii";;"i choice is educiting -people as to the better alternative
-- and seiing that it's Provided
I-iion't knoi another way to do it than to have the- Government
""afirl-*i .o-panies get out there and gei those shoulder belts
out and explain to people why that is sup€nor protectlon-
Mrs. ColuNs. Mr. Kleczka.
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