Seatbelts save lives Published Dec. 11, 2006 By Steve Brady 21st Space Wing Public Affairs PETERSON AFB, Colo. -- A Soldier assigned to NORAD/NORTHCOM is a believer in the axiom that seatbelts save lives. Army Staff Sgt. Daniel Ryan, an intelligence analyst with North American Aerospace Defense Command/U.S. Northern Command, was involved in a multi-vehicle pile up Nov. 12 on I-70 in Denver. He had stopped in traffic due to a wreck, when he was hit from behind. "I remember a (car) speeding past me thinking, 'I've never seen a car go that fast on a highway,'" Sergeant Ryan said. "When I came up over a hill, the car had lost control and hit a guardrail." Sergeant Ryan stopped his truck for the accident when he was struck. Witness estimates put the speed of the other vehicle, also a truck, at 65 mph. He was wearing his seatbelt, however, and suffered minimal injuries. "It was obviously the savior," Sergeant Ryan said. "Without it I think the impact would have thrown me through the windshield - I don't think I would have survived." He had cuts on the back of his head from flying glass, cuts on both legs from striking the dashboard, and whiplash. Wearing seatbelts is mandatory for all military personnel, both on and off base. "(Department of Defense) regulations and Air Force Instructions require the use of seatbelts on DOD installations at all times by all vehicle occupants," said Tom Quinn, 21st SW ground safety manager. The regulations also mandate military personnel wear seatbelts when off base. "Basically, military are required to wear seatbelts at all times whether they're the operator or a passenger, on or off base," Mr. Quinn said. The 21st Space Wing Safety Office did a seatbelt survey Nov. 30 at the shoppette, exchange and commissary parking lots, and observed 508 vehicles. Of those, 492 drivers and passengers were wearing seatbelts, 15 were not. Anybody stopped can receive a traffic ticket and four points against their base driving privileges. Additionally, the vehicle operator could possibly receive suspension of installation driving privileges for 30-days. A copy of the citation is also forwarded to the violator's first sergeant or commanding officer. Air Force Space Command lost two Airmen in car crashes this year because neither was wearing a seatbelt. Historically, unbelted passengers are 29 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle and, if ejected, three out of four die. "Our own surveys show that Peterson personnel use of seatbelts is at 99 percent," Mr. Quinn said. "It's that one percent we worry about. A seatbelt won't save your life if it's not used."Comment on this story