Ways to prevent Virginia car passengers from being ejected in a crash

One way to ensure you are badly hurt – or killed – in a Virginia car crash is to get yourself thrown partially or completely out of the vehicle.  Being thrown all the way or part of the way out of a vehicle during a wreck means you are more likely to be seriously injured or die.

 

The National Highway Transpiration Safety Administration (NHTSA) just passed a new final rule, the aim of which is to reduce the number of vehicle ejections.  The NHTSA believes that new standards in the rule will save 373 fatalities and prevent 476 serious injuries each year.

 

Thanks to this new rule, vehicle manufacturers must find a way to prevent unbelted adults from moving more than four inches past the side window opening during a crash.  This rule applies only to light passenger vehicles under 10,000 pounds.

 

When can you expect to see this technology available in new vehicles in 2013, and it will be standard in all vehicles sold in the United States by 2018.

 

Rollover accidents more often lead to fatalities and severe injures than other types of wrecks.  This is because an unbelted vehicle passenger or a passenger whose seatbelt fails can tumble out of the car during a roll.  In addition, rollover accidents can lead to roof crush deaths or injuries.

 

One thing is for sure, these new safety features – just like all the other safety features required by the NHTSA – will increase the cost of new vehicles across the board.  Safety comes at a price – but this just might keep those who can’t afford all these new bells and whistles stuck driving old, less safe vehicles for longer.