What is the purpose of wearing a seatbelt?

Wearing a seatbelt is fundamentally designed to protect occupants during a collision. In the event of an accident, seatbelts significantly reduce the risk of injury or death by securing individuals in their seats and preventing them from being thrown about the vehicle or ejected from it. The force of a collision can be immense, and seatbelts are engineered to absorb some of that force, helping to minimize impact injuries.

The other options do not accurately reflect the primary purpose of seatbelts. While looking stylish may be an ancillary benefit for some, it certainly does not pertain to their primary function. Preventing traffic violations is also not a direct purpose of seatbelts; while seatbelt laws are in place, the main goal of wearing one is safety. Lastly, while there's a discussion about the overall safety features of vehicles potentially improving fuel efficiency through better design, seatbelts themselves do not inherently affect fuel consumption. Therefore, the focus should always remain on the critical role that seatbelts play in safeguarding lives during vehicle operations.