Cyrus Mry car crash: What happens to your body when you don’t wear a seat belt and how wearing one saves your life?

If you thought that the rear seat belt was unnecessary, that backseats would not be impacted frontal car crashes, the tragic death of Cyrus Mry, former Chairman of Tata Sons, is a reminder why we should buckle up. The incident is also a reminder that no lessons have been learnt since the death of Princess Diana, who succumbed to injuries in exactly identical circumstances and was not wearing a seat belt.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE BODY OF AN UNBELTED PASSENGER DURING A CAR CRASH?
Explaining what could have happened in the Mry car crash, automobile expert Tutu Dhawan says, “It’s basic science and mathematics that we all tend to ignore. It is important to know what happens to your body during a crash. Suppose you are driving on a highway at 150 kmph, your body too is travelling at the same speed. So when your car hits an obstacle or brakes suddenly, your car stops with a wobble but not your body. Your body will lurch forward like a torpedo with nothing to hold you in place. You would be thrown forward with such speed that you would hit the front row and even the dashboard hard. Imagine the brute force of body momentum and mass and even two co-passengers can collide with each other and injure each other fatally. The rear seat passenger can hit the front seat passenger and driver and injure them seriously. If you look at Mry’s car, Mercedes GLC SUV, which the way is the safest there is in the world with a five-star rating, you would see that there has not been much structural damage and the cabin is safe. In some cases, passengers can also be thrown out of the car at the moment of impact.”
Many people feel that airbags will save them. “This is the most common myth. Airbags are designed to complement seat belts, not be the primary life-saver,” adds Dhawan.
Dr Abhijit Wahegaonkar, former secretary, Pune Orthopaedic Society, says whiplash injuries occur during these accidents where the head is forcefully and quickly thrown backward and then forward. Wearing seat belts, therefore, is an absolute must, he adds. Adds Dr Mayur Kardile, consultant spine surgeon at Pune’s Jehangir Hospital, “Motor vehicles these days have greater safety features with airbags, lane departure prevention systems. But what people forget is that the first line of defence is a seat belt.” Dr Shrikrishna Joshi, Vice-President, Lokmanya Group of Hospitals, Pune, has dealt with many car crash victims who suffer from polytrauma. “This means that apart from a severe head injury, there is a heavy impact on the ribs and spine with femur fractures,” he adds.
HOW DOES A SEAT BELT PROTECT YOUR BODY
Dr Neeraj Adkar, Head of the Department of Orthopaedics at Ru Hall Clinic, Pune, says, “Depending on the speed at the time of impact, seat belts help the body absorb the force and disperse it to the shoulder and hips, the parts of the body that can handle the impact strongest. The seat belt also contains spinal injuries, which can lead to death or loss of organs.”
WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE OF PROTECTION?
Globally around 1.3 million people die each year as a result of road traffic crashes. In India, according to the recent data from the National Crime Records Bureau, road crashes claimed 1.55 lakh lives in India in 2021. The United Nations General Assembly has set an ambitious target of halving the global number of deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes 2030. As per the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, wearing seat belts reduces one’s risk of suffering injuries or death about half.
The US reports some of the highest car crashes in the world. Its Department of Transportation has conducted studies that indicate of the 23,824 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2020, 51 per cent were not wearing seat belts — a four per cent increase from 2019. Seat belts saved an estimated 14,955 lives in the US and could have saved an additional 2,549 people if they had been wearing seat belts in 2017 alone.
HOW SHOULD I BUCKLE UP?
“Make sure that the lap and shoulder belts are tightly secured across the stomach and rib cage without slipping off, as these parts are better able to brace up and absorb the shock. The most common make we make is to place the top belt near our necks and the bottom across our hips, leaving the crucial torso unprotected. The right fit is important,” advises Dhawan. The US Department of Transportation busts further myths. As its website says, “Seemingly routine trips can be deceptively dangerous. Most fatal crashes happen within 25 miles from home and at speeds of less than 40 mph. Seat belts can trap you in a fire or under water. Myth or Real Deal? Myth. Incidents involving fire or water account for ½ of one per cent of all crashes. But more importantly, you can’t escape such dangers unless you’re conscious. Wearing a seat belt gives you a much greater chance of being conscious and able-bodied.”
In fact, Dhawan has himself been conducting awareness campaigns on seat belt discipline and is appalled how despite mandatory provisions in the Motor Vehicle Act, rear seat belt use is minimal among Indians. “The law is never enforced when it comes to wearing the belt in the rear seat. And we need to make wearing seat belts a behavioural habit, no matter what the seat, from as young as five years old. Indians need to be particularly careful while driving on highways, 90 per cent of which are not meant for cruising at high speeds because we have cattle, bullock carts and tractors halting us in our tracks. Only a belt can save us then,” he adds.  
With inputs from Anuradha Mascarenhas, Pune