Final answer:
Persons in vehicles with airbags are not exempt from wearing seat belts; the law requires all occupants to use seat belts for optimal protection. Airbags complement seat belts by reducing the force on occupants over a longer time during a crash.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that persons in vehicles equipped with both front and side impact airbags are exempt from the safety belt law is False. Every state in the United States mandates the use of safety belts for optimal protection during vehicular accidents, regardless of the presence of airbags. Airbags are an additional safety feature that work in tandem with seat belts to provide the best possible protection. When an accident occurs, seat belts restrain the occupants and reduce the likelihood of them being ejected from the vehicle or colliding with parts of the vehicle, while airbags deploy upon impact to minimize serious injuries by allowing the net force on the occupants to act over a longer period of time, thus reducing the force experienced by the occupants.
These safety features follow the principles of impulse, which involves the change in momentum over time. The longer the time over which a force acts, the less severe the impact will be on the vehicle's occupants. Both seat belts and airbags are designed to work together to ensure that these forces are minimized, emphasizing their combined significance in vehicle safety.
It is also important to consider society's collective interest as described in the provided information. Laws requiring the use of seat belts are put in place to protect individuals from harm and to reduce the burden on society in caring for those who may become seriously injured due to not wearing a seat belt during a crash.