"seatbelts help people survive car accidents"
This is a completely normal way to talk about inanimate objects
The difference is that in the case of a seatbelt, people won't make a personified interpretation of "help". They know they need to make the tool-like interpretation, because it's all that makes sense.
alt Hacker News
The difference is that in the case of a seatbelt, people won't make a personified interpretation of "help". They know they need to make the tool-like interpretation, because it's all that makes sense.