If you're wearing a seatbelt and driving 45 miles an hour, you'll stay in place if you have to slam on the brakes. Whatever is in the back seat or back window of your car will continue to move at 45 miles an hour. These flying objects cause 65,000 injuries each year. During accidents, loose objects could knock you unconscious at a time when you need to think fast and clearly.
Mechanical engineers at Rowan University in New Jersey say that in SUVs, use the rear luggage area where the seats will keep most items in place. Use the cargo net if one is provided.
Drivers of passenger cars should keep cargo in the trunk or on the floor of the back seat.
Transportation injury researchers at the State University of Buffalo in New York say you should scan the vehicle for loose objects each day and get rid of them.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
