What Seatbelts, Airbags, and Vaccines Have in Common
My heart smiles each time I hear that a friend or family member has gotten vaccinated against COVID-19. But I know that many of you are still wondering why you should get vaccinated, especially since you have heard of breakthrough cases where vaccinated individuals have caught the virus from others. Some are struggling with why wearing a mask is important. With only 1 in 3 people vaccinated against COVID-19 and death rates now the third highest in the nation, every Louisianan has reason to be concerned. These low vaccination rates will cause new versions of the virus to continue to be created, making our limited treatments in the hospital less effective (remember, we do not have a cure) and our vaccines less protective. I could share the many medical and scientific reasons why but I am sure you have heard them.
Most of you can relate to driving or riding in a car and there are good lessons here to consider. I still have memories of when cars did not have seatbelts and airbags were not standard equipment on every car. While seatbelts and airbags don’t prevent car accidents, they help prevent life threatening injuries. As an ER physician, I can tell you that more people survive car accidents today than 20–30 years ago, many not even needing to make the trip to the ER.
Still, some get injured and unfortunately die from car accidents despite wearing their seatbelts and the use of airbags. But because we use these devices, fewer chests get crushed against steering wheels, fewer heads crash through windshields, and fewer children are thrown from vehicles that roll over. With the latest technology, some cars can even apply emergency braking to help avoid an accident. These layers of protection work together to save lives.
Drinking is a freedom adults can enjoy but driving while intoxicated leads to crashes that kill innocent others, forever changing the lives of their families. We don’t fight against requirements to use seatbelts, child car seats, and to place small children in the back seat because these requirements save lives. We don’t encourage our friends and loved ones to drive while drunk because their actions are not just about them. And we don’t turn off the airbags in our cars or tell our children not to wear a seatbelt because we believe an accident is inevitable. Even good drivers and their passengers need protection against dangers they can’t anticipate and the bad decisions of other drivers.
With the Delta variant of COVID-19 raging, everyone is more likely to encounter the COVID-19 virus. Take a step today and get vaccinated. Encourage family and friends to get vaccinated. Take another step and wear a mask when indoors with others. Together, these public health measures will help protect you and others from the COVID-19 dangers you can’t see. Do your part today to ensure fewer friends and family in Shreveport die from COVID-19. The life you save may be your own.
(Views expressed in this article are my own and not of my employer or other organizations with which I am affiliated. They also do not represent medical advice.)
