A bit about the seat belt has been discussed previously. Now, it’s time to get to know the seat belt. In this article you are going know what and how the seat belt functions for your safety. The types of seat belts are also going to be discussed.

The seat belt is designed with the car occupants’ safety in mind. It is a restraining system intended to:
1. Prevent ejection from the vehicle.
2. Load crash forces on the strongest parts of the body.
3. Spread crash forces over a wide area of the body.
4. Allow the body to slow down gradually.
5. Protect the head, neck, and spinal column.

Because of this restraining system, occupants, especially those at the front seats are prevented from being thrown over the windshield in the worst car crashes. However, there are exceptional circumstances wherein even the presence and use of seat belt cannot protect the occupants from serious injuries and even death, like if the vehicle is crushed to the core.

But, the importance of seat belts cannot be denied. Seat belts are designed in different ways to offer varying degrees of protection.

 Lap Belt - This is the earliest type of seta belt. It’s basically a 2-point belt with two anchorage points that goes over the thighs and hips. It does not hold down the upper body; the main benefit it offers is it prevents ejection of the occupants. This type is rarely used in cars nowadays.
 Sash Seat Belt – It is a belt the goes over the shoulder. Very rarely used nowadays because it is not efficient enough in keeping the occupant in place during accidents.
 Lap and Sash Seat Belt – This is the combination of the lap and sash but, they are made as separate parts.
 Three-point Seat Belt – It is similar to the previous type. The difference is that this one is made as a continuous design. This provides restraint for the upper chest and shoulders.
 Five-Point Harness – It is considered to be the safer type of belt. This is usually found in child safety seats as well as racing cars. It has a lap portion connected to a belt between the legs in addition to the two shoulder belts.
 Six-Point Harness – This is also used in race cars. Instead of just one belt between the legs, this type has two. It still has lap belts and shoulder belts.

To have maximum use of these belts, it’s important for these belts to be worn appropriately. No matter what kind of belt is used it would be useless if it’s not a correct fit.

Photo Credit: Co.Jackson

If you browse the internet you will see lots of news about people suffering serious bodily injuries and even death because of their failure to wear seat belts. According to statistics, failure to wear seat belt is one of the highest contributing factor to car accident fatalities. Although the United States has safety belt laws enforced in majority of its states, it still one of the countries that has the highest fatality rate. Those who die due to non-wearing of seat belt account for 63% of the total fatalities. If more Americans will buckle up, more than 5,500 deaths and 132,000 injuries can be prevented each year.

Modern seat belts are not difficult to put on so, it is a wonder why some people still fail to or simply don’t like to use them. People today are lucky because cars already have this safety feature in their car. Early vehicles have no such feature. It was only those produced from 1950’s onwards that have seat belts integrated in them. Cars in the 1960’s only have lap belts for the front passengers while the rear passengers have none.

What are some reasons why people don’t wear their seat belts? Here’s one interesting answer from answerbag.com, “Some people don’t like to be told what to do, especially by the government. It’s the same old story – cut off your nose to spite your face.” 
Another thing though is that maybe safety belt laws are not that strict. At present there are two types of safety belt laws: the primary and secondary. This is the scope of these laws according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

• A primary (standard) safety belt law allows law enforcement officers to stop a vehicle and issue a citation when the officer simply observes an unbelted driver or passenger. A secondary safety belt law means that a citation for not wearing a safety belt can only be written after the officer stops the vehicle or cites the offender for another infraction.

According to reports, the primary law is more effective. However, it is still not enough as the percentage of fatalities shows. Maybe stronger laws regarding this aspect are needed to ensure people buckle up for their own safety. It’s not only the person involved in the accident or his family that bear the cost of such incident. As a taxpayer, you have to pay higher taxes, health care, and insurance cost to help cover the needs of people who neglect their own safety.

Car owners like you have to be made aware of the importance of wearing even a simple device as a seat belt. There’s no harm in following the rules on road safety; in fact it can even save your life.

Photo Credit: Mindfulmom