TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Triple A demonstrated the importance of wearing a seat belt Wednesday afternoon.
A teddy bear buckled into the drivers seat of a car experienced the impact of an airbag. The stuffed toy survived but had it not been wearing a seat belt, the damage would be worse.
Jared Ulinsky of the Ohio State Highway Patrol said seat belts are of utmost priority.
"Airbags are a wonderful tool to prevent injury. Obviously doesn't prevent all injury. You want to wear your safety belt coupled with the airbag use and you can obviously minimize your injury," said Ulinsky.
Nearly half of the fatal crashes that happen in Lucas County are because passengers are not wearing a seat belt.
According to police officers, most crashes occur within 20 miles of your home. So excuses like "I'm not driving that far," or "wearing a seat belt is too uncomfortable," are not acceptable.
Jamie Blazevich of Educational Service Center Lake Erie West said the consequences of not wearing your seat belt are too big to risk.
"Is it uncomfortable when you are faced in a wheel chair not being able to walk? Or is it really uncomfortable for your family to talk about you're not here because you chose not to wear that seat belt," she asked.
While it is your right to not wear your seat belt, if you get pulled over officers say you will be cited.
