FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Scott Wagner, M.D., has been a forensic pathologist for 31 years. He told WANE 15 on Tuesday that they’re seeing more and more ejections from vehicles, causing deaths in the past few years.

Wagner said they’ll see fractured skulls and necks in autopsies. Even scenarios where someone is ejected from a vehicle and then crushed by that vehicle.

“Stay belted in until your car comes to a rest, and then you have a chance of staying alive. If you’re thrown out of the car then you’re just taking your chances, or you’re thrown around inside of the car. You can hit something, break your neck, and you’re taking chances with your life,” Wagner said.

He said it’s such a simple thing to wear a seat belt. If someone is ejected from a vehicle, they become a projectile and then are fighting physics. They’re bound to crash into or be hit by another object.

He believes there’s a false sense of security leading to the lack of seat belt usage, whether it’s someone in a car that is known for its airbags and safety qualities or people in bigger vehicles like trucks and semis.

Wagner said there’s also a misconception that you could become trapped in your car due to your seatbelt if you get in an accident.

“In my 31 years of doing forensic pathology, I’ve never seen someone trapped in a vehicle that couldn’t get out [because of the seat belt] before, let’s say, a fire started or something else happened, at least causing death,” he explained.

Cars are designed to protect people as best as possible. Wagner said they can’t do that if you’re not strapped in and making yourself part of the vehicle.

If you don’t buckle up, he said the dangers are very real.

“Once you start moving, physics doesn’t lie. Physics are real,” Wagner said. “So, if you are in a vehicle and it stops suddenly, you are going to start moving. You become a projectile and then you’re at the mercy of whatever you hit or whatever hits you.”