Types of seat belts that disregard life

Seat belts are a basic feature of every car today. But many people forget its existence, subjectively, and disregard the importance of this feature.

Origin of seat belts

In the 1930s, airplanes were equipped with seat belts. 20 years later, Ford was the pioneer in investing in equipping its car models with this equipment to increase the appeal of its products and ensure safety for users.

However, this 2-point belt was not strong enough to eliminate inertia, so the number of people killed in accidents was still not really reduced. In 1959, Nils Bohlin, who was hired by Volvo to research a more improved seat belt, introduced the 3-point seat belt.

This belt has improved most of the disadvantages of the 2-point belt, able to hold the shoulders, chest, and pelvis tightly, preventing the person sitting from being thrown out or thrown forward.

Over time, seat belts have undergone a lot of research and improvement and still play an extremely important role in protecting the safety of people sitting in the car.

How seat belts work

The seat belt is very simple in structure, usually consisting of a belt and a buckle. Based on the collision sensor, information is transmitted to the belt controller to automatically tighten, keeping the user from being thrown out of the seat in the event of a collision.

According to an investigation, drivers can only protect themselves from injury when the car is moving at 5 km/h. When the car is moving at 70 km/h, the passengers are also moving at nearly the same speed.

So if the car suddenly stops and the person in the car is not wearing a seat belt, by inertia, they will continue to move forward, hitting the steering wheel, dashboard, windshield. Even if the car is moving at high speed, the person can fly through the windshield and continue to collide with other objects.

Thanks to the collision sensor, the belt will automatically tighten, keeping the body fixed on the seat, limiting injuries.

But in reality, many people still have the habit of disregarding seat belts, endangering their own safety and that of others.

Illegal and dangerous ways to tie a belt

Using fake pins to trick the car:Using fake pins to fool the car makes the car alarm system not go off, but endangers the driver in case of an accident.

Fasten your seat belt behind your backIt is also the driver's way of coping while driving and is very dangerous when participating in traffic.

Wear the strap under your armpitsis the wrong way to wear a seat belt and can be life-threatening while driving.

Both using fake pins, fastening seat belts behind the back or keeping the belt under the armpit while driving or sitting in a car not only violates the regulations but also endangers the lives of all passengers in the car. Because at that time there are no measures to protect the driver as well as the passengers from collisions and vibrations in the car. The head and chest can be hit against the equipment, the car dashboard causing injury, even death.

According to research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), wearing a seat belt can reduce the risk of death for everyone in the car.

People who do not wear seat belts also increase the risk of injury or death for other people in the car by 40%. In fact, in an accident, an unbelted rear seat passenger can increase the risk of death for a front seat passenger by 137% compared to a person who is wearing a seat belt.

IIHS also found that using rear seat belts reduces the risk of fatal injuries by 58% in sedans and by 75% in SUVs, MPVs and pickup trucks.

Therefore, wearing a seat belt is a necessary habit, even mandatory when using a car.

Not only the driver and front seat passengers, some countries also have regulations requiring rear seat passengers to wear seat belts while traveling.

Penalties for people sitting in cars without seat belts

According to the provisions of Clause 3, Article 5 of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, the violation of not wearing a seat belt will be specifically punished as follows:

Fines from 800,000 VND to 1 million VND will be imposed on drivers who do not wear seat belts while driving on the road and those who carry passengers in cars who do not wear seat belts (in locations equipped with seat belts) while the car is moving.

Fines from 300,000 to 500,000 VND shall be imposed on people being transported in cars who do not wear seat belts (where seat belts are equipped) while the car is moving.

How to wear a seat belt correctly

To ensure safety, you must strictly follow the regulations and correct way of fastening seat belts as follows:

Step 1: When sitting in the car, adjust your back and hips straight. Pull the belt over your body, fasten the car seat belt, and adjust the belt to fit, not too loose or too tight.

Step 2: After locking the car seat belt, adjust the lower belt, pulling it low over the lower abdomen and pelvis, not leaving the belt at the stomach position.

Step 3: Adjust the upper strap so it crosses your shoulders and torso, diagonally from your shoulders to your chest. Do not loop the strap behind your back or under your arms.

Pham Duy