Unit: Six Topic: B12
(Please Listen to Narration or read the Paragraphs below )

B12. Safety equipment, seat belts, Introduction.

About one person in three will be injured or killed in a traffic accident.

Being ejected from a vehicle is one of the most injurious events that can happen to a person in a crash. In fatal crashes, 73% of passenger vehicle occupants who were totally ejected from the vehicle were killed.

Unrestrained occupants of a car keep moving during the time the car takes to stop due to inertia. They are still moving forward at their original speed when they slam into the steering wheel, windshield, or other part of the car. This force is equivalent to that of hitting the ground when falling from a three story building. When hit from behind, inertia causes a person's neck to bend backwards, which can result in whiplash.

If a vehicle is equipped with seat belts, they must be worn by the driver and all passengers while the vehicle is moving, regardless of whether the vehicle has air bags. If the seat belts have lap and shoulder straps, both must be worn.

The purpose of seat belts and shoulder straps is to keep your body from hitting the steering wheel, windshield, or other portions of the interior of your car in a crash. Safety belts are also effective in preventing total ejection from a car in a crash. 

If you wear only a lap belt when driving, your chances of living through an accident are twice as good as those of someone who isn't. If you wear both a lap and shoulder belt, your chances are three to four time better.

While wearing seat belts without shoulder straps can increase chances of spinal and abdominal injury in an accident (especially in children), seat belts alone still reduce overall chances of injury or death. Shoulder harnesses may be available for your vehicle, if it is not already equipped with them.

If you are struck from the side in a collision, the impact could push you back and forth across the seat. Seatbelts help to keep you in a better position to control the vehicle.

Safety belts can reduce injuries and deaths. Many studies and actual crash tests have proven this fact. Over the past 10 years some 55,600 deaths and 1,300,000 injuries have been prevented by seatbelt use.

To be effective, seatbelts must be worn properly. Figure 6.3 illustrates proper and improper seatbelt usage. In general, the shoulder belt should fit snuggly against your body, you should never wear the shoulder belt under your arm, you should never wear a seatbelt that is twisted, and you should never be reclined in your seat when moving.

Pregnant women should wear lap belts as low a possible under the abdomen and the shoulder strap should be worn between the breasts and the side of the abdomen's bulge. Seat belts are required for persons riding in the beds of pick-up trucks. Otherwise, it is illegal to ride in the bed of an open pickup truck.

Safety belts must be in good working order to be effective. Safety belts can become ineffective by wear and damage, particularly after an accident, and should be inspected along with other periodic maintenance of the vehicle.