Final answer:
False. Seat belts are designed to keep passengers safe by reducing the force of impact using the principle of impulse. They overwhelmingly prevent harm rather than cause it, with rare instances where they might jam post-accident. Safety laws enforce seat belt usage for the benefit of individuals and society.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement "Seat belts can trap you inside the car" is mostly false. The primary purpose of a seat belt is to provide safety to the occupants by preventing them from being ejected from their seats during a sudden stop or a collision. The function of seat belts, along with other safety features like airbags and crumple zones, is to reduce the net force on the passenger, utilizing the concept of impulse. This is achieved by increasing the time over which the force of impact acts, which in turn lowers the force experienced by the occupants, potentially saving lives and preventing serious injuries.
While there are extremely rare scenarios where a seat belt may become jammed after an accident, the chances of this happening are minimal compared to the number of lives seat belts save annually. Governmental laws mandate the use of seat belts, understanding that the benefits outweigh the risks, protecting individuals, and reducing the societal burden of medical care resulting from accidents. The example of the woman with cupcakes illustrates that while she was protected by the seat belt, the unrestrained cupcakes were thrown forward due to inertia, demonstrating the effectiveness of a seat belt in preventing harm to a vehicle's occupants.
In the broader context of vehicle safety, plastics and materials that allow parts of a car to crumple or collapse upon impact also contribute to a reduction in the force experienced inside the vehicle. In racing, the shift from rigid frames to materials that deform upon impact has been shown to dramatically decrease fatalities, emphasizing the importance of controlled deformation in absorbing impact energy and increasing safety.