Seatbelt Survival

Victoria Andrepont and Olivia Frost, students at Tunstall High School in Dry Fork, Va., understand the benefits of wearing a seatbelt.

After experiencing separate crashes in which they both were wearing seatbelts, Victoria and Olivia share their stories about how buckling up saved them from injury.

'My seatbelt saved my life'

It was early one summer evening as Victoria was making a routine trip home in her Ford Mustang.

She approached an intersection where she had the right-of-way, but Victoria was unable to avoid another car that failed to stop.

"It happened so fast that I don't remember swerving or slamming on my brakes," Victoria says.

Both airbags deployed and the damage to her car was extensive. Victoria, a senior member of her school's Lookin' Out committee, was immediately overcome with tears.

"My initial reaction was, 'Oh no, my car!'" she says.

Now as she looks back, however, Victoria can deal with the damage to her car and is grateful that she walked away from the crash.

"I realize now the most important thing is that I am okay. I can repair the car," she says.

A crash like this also serves as an example that regardless of how alert and cautious drivers are, crashes can occur unexpectedly.

"I believe my seatbelt saved my life," Victoria says. "If I wasn't wearing a seatbelt I might have gone through the windshield."

Olivia's story

Just a few weeks after school started, Olivia was driving home when she stopped behind several cars waiting for a school bus to unload.

When traffic began moving again she accelerated but the bus made another abrupt stop.

Before she had a chance to hit the brakes, Olivia, a cheerleader and junior member of her school's Lookin' Out committee, rear ended the car in front of her at less than ten miles per hour. Upon impact her airbags deployed and the windshield cracked.

Olivia always wore her seatbelt when driving, but she admits that she did not always buckle up when she was a passenger. This crash changed that. "I always buckle up now," she says.

The crash also demonstrates how airbags and seatbelts are designed to work together to protect occupants in a crash. Airbags can potentially cause injury to occupants if a seatbelt is not worn.

Even though her crash that occurred at a relatively low speed, Oliva adds, "My seatbelt definitely prevented me from being injured."

Believe the hype

What do Victoria and Olivia recommend to other teens that still don't believe the hype about seatbelts?

Although she is suffering from minor back and neck injuries, Victoria feels her injuries would have been much worse had she not been buckled up.

"I was lucky. Putting my seatbelt on is the first thing I do when I get in the car," Victoria says. "Wear your seatbelt."

Olivia echoes that advice. "You should definitely buckle up regardless of whether you are driving or are a passenger," says Olivia. "A seatbelt protected me and in many cases seatbelts really do save lives."

Damage to Victoria Andrepont's car was extensive, but because she wore a seatbelt Victoria walked away with only minor injuries.

Olivia Frost's crash occurred at less than ten miles per hour, however her airbags still deployed and the windshield cracked.