These seatbelt fastening methods disregard human lives.
Using a dummy seatbelt to trick the car, fastening your seatbelt behind your back, or leaving the seatbelt under your armpit are all potentially life-threatening mistakes when driving.
Seat belts are a basic feature of every car today. However, many people forget about their existence, being careless and underestimating the importance of this feature.
The origin of seat belts
In the 1930s, airplanes were equipped with seat belts. Twenty years later, Ford was a pioneer in investing in this feature for its vehicles to increase product appeal and ensure user safety.
However, these two-point seat belts were not strong enough to counteract inertia, meaning the number of fatalities in accidents was not significantly reduced. In 1959, Nils Bohlin, hired by Volvo to research a more advanced seat belt, introduced the three-point seat belt.
This harness has improved upon most of the shortcomings of the two-point harness, effectively securing the shoulders, chest, and pelvis, preventing the occupant from being thrown out or lurching forward.
Later, seat belts underwent numerous studies and improvements and still play an extremely important role in protecting the safety of vehicle occupants.
How seat belts work
Seat belts have a very simple structure, usually consisting of straps and buckles. Based on collision sensors, information is transmitted to the belt control unit to automatically tighten, preventing 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 vehicle is moving at a speed of 5 km/h. When a car is moving at 70 km/h, the occupants are also moving at nearly the same speed.
Therefore, if a car suddenly stops and the occupants are not wearing seatbelts, due to inertia, they will continue to be thrown forward, hitting the steering wheel, dashboard, and windshield. Even if the car is moving at high speed, the occupant could be thrown through the windshield and continue to collide with other objects.
Thanks to the collision sensor, the seatbelt will automatically tighten, keeping the body securely in the seat and minimizing injuries.
However, in reality, many people still have the habit of disregarding the importance of wearing seat belts, endangering their own safety and the safety of others.
Incorrect and dangerous ways of tying seatbelts.
Using a dummy lock to trick the car:Using fake door locks to trick the vehicle's alarm system into not sounding, but posing a danger to the driver in the event of an accident.
Fasten your seatbelt.This is also a way for drivers to cope while operating the vehicle and is very dangerous when participating in traffic.
Keep the strap under your armpit.This is an incorrect way of fastening a seatbelt and can be life-threatening while driving.
Using a fake seatbelt buckle, fastening the seatbelt behind your back, or keeping the seatbelt under your armpit while driving or riding in a car not only violates regulations but also endangers the lives of everyone in the vehicle. This is because it leaves no protection for the driver or passengers from impacts and vibrations inside the vehicle. The head and chest could be struck by equipment or the dashboard, causing injury or even death.
According to research by the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), wearing a seatbelt can reduce the risk of death for everyone in the vehicle.
Those who don't wear seat belts also increase the risk of injury or death for other occupants of the vehicle by 40%. Furthermore, in the event of an accident, rear-seat passengers who aren't wearing seat belts can increase the risk of death for front-seat passengers by up to 137% compared to those who are wearing seat belts.
The IIHS also found that using seat belts in the rear seats reduces the risk of fatal injuries by 58% in sedans and 75% in SUVs, MPVs, and pickup trucks.
Therefore, fastening your seatbelt is a necessary, even mandatory, habit when using a car.
Not only the driver and front-seat passengers, but some countries also have regulations requiring rear-seat passengers to wear seat belts during travel.
Penalties will be imposed on people in cars who do not wear seat belts.
According to Clause 3, Article 5 of Decree 100/2019/ND-CP, the penalty for not wearing a seatbelt is as follows:
A fine of 800,000 to 1,000,000 VND will be imposed on drivers who do not wear seat belts while driving on the road, and on passengers who do not wear seat belts (in positions equipped with seat belts) while the vehicle is in motion.
A fine of 300,000 to 500,000 VND will be imposed on passengers in a car who do not wear a seat belt (in positions equipped with seat belts) while the vehicle is in motion.
How to fasten a seatbelt correctly
To ensure safety, you must strictly follow the regulations regarding seat belt fastening and how to fasten it correctly as follows:
Step 1: When sitting in the car, adjust your back and hips so they are straight. Pull the strap across your body, fasten the car seat belt buckle, and adjust the strap to fit comfortably, not too loose or too tight.
Step 2: After fastening your car seatbelt, adjust the lower strap, pulling it low over your lower abdomen and pelvis, making sure it's not positioned over your stomach.
Step 3: Adjust the strap so it goes across your shoulders and torso, diagonally from shoulder to chest. Do not loop the strap behind your back or under your arm.