Lifesavers are often misused: 7 mistakes we make when wearing seat belts

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More than airbags and headrests (more here), belts are the number one lifesaver in a car accident. Wearing a seat belt is mandatory (60 francs fine). Exceptions are rare for good reasons. One in every five vehicle passengers killed was not wearing a seat belt!

The airbag is not a substitute: The airbag is designed for passengers wearing seat belts; Without a belt, you won’t hit it and it’s even possible to get injured by the airbag. However, preventable errors also occur when wearing the belt.

1. Put on the belt

Belts should never go under the trouser belt rather than above it. From where? During the crash, the seat belt may rise and penetrate the abdomen, or the belt buckle may rise and press it against the abdomen like a knife.

2. Woven spun

A bent belt can penetrate soft tissues sharply and even lose its effectiveness when the bent area reaches the buckle.

3. Old belts

If the belt is stuck in the door, bent, worn, already worn, or used in an accident, it needs to be replaced; because it may tear. The belt buckle should always be replaced at the same time.

4. Loose or thick clothing

After fastening your seat belt, you should pull it briefly: the less belt slack, the less likely there will be injuries; That’s why new cars have belt tensioners. If you are wearing a thick jacket, you should either remove it completely or at least wear the lap belt under the jacket rather than over it.

5. Straps placed incorrectly

The lap belt is so named because it is intended to support the pelvis – it has no place on the stomach. True to its name, the shoulder strap should extend across the shoulder or collarbone: very high on the neck and very low on the upper arm. If the vehicle has a belt height adjustment, please use it.

6. Full pockets

From keychains to smartphones, anything sharp, fixed or fragile has no place in trouser pockets under the crotch.

7. No belt on the back

98 percent wear front belts, and children are generally restrained correctly. But 20 percent do not wear seat belts from the rear, endangering everyone in the car: In an accident, heads collide; in a frontal collision, unbelted passengers hit the front seat from behind, injuring those sitting in the front. The claim that you can get out of sinking or burning cars more quickly without a belt is absurd: both are always immediately preceded by a splash or a serious collision, so without a belt you would be injured and no longer able to control yourself.

Source: Blick