How safe are seat belts?

R1volta

Seat belts are always your minimal best safety device. How many race cars do you see without belts and harness.

Safety Belts and Car Safety

Today, seat belts are an accepted part of routine vehicle operation for millions of drivers and passengers. But the modern three-point automotive seat belt has only been around since 1959 â€” and it's saved thousands of lives since its introduction.

The three-point seat belt was the brainchild of Swedish aircraft engineer Nils Ivar Bohlin, who, ironically, spent the early years of his career designing aircraft ejector seats. He designed the belt as a combination lap and diagonal belt positioned across the pelvic and rib cage.

Today's seat belts combine Bohlin's strong three-point harness with a relatively simple pendulum and ratchet mechanism that locks the belt in sudden-stop situations. This design helps improve the comfort of belt wearers, as the belt is not locked in position under normal operation.

As with any safety system, seat belt performance is dependent on proper use and fit. If the belt is not positioned correctly on the vehicle occupant's body, it can fail to provide adequate safety in the event of a collision or rapid deceleration.

How to Properly Adjust Your Safety Belt:

Always wear your seat belt, and insist that your passengers do the same. One non-restrained passenger can seriously injure others in the vehicle.
Seat belts help prevent internal injuries by spreading the force of a collision across two of the human body's strongest areas: the pelvis and upper chest. To ensure the proper distribution of force, the lap belt should be positioned across the upper thighs, and the diagonal belt across the chest.
Never slip the diagonal belt behind your body â€” the lap belt alone cannot prevent you from being thrown forward or out of the vehicle. Use the lap belt at all times, as well. Without this restraint, your body would be thrown under the diagonal belt and into the dashboard or steering wheel.
Make sure your belt fits snugly against your body. If it is too loose, you could be injured by being thrown against the belt itself.
If your seat belts don't seem to operate correctly, or you cannot adequately adjust them, return the car to a dealership or qualified repair shop for assistance.
If your vehicle is fitted only with lap belts (pre-1974 models), contact a dealership for an upgrade to a three-point harness. Aftermarket kits are available for many vehicle makes and models.
Facts:

In 2003, seat belts saved an estimated 14,903 lives of passenger vehicle occupants over 4 years old.
(Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2005)
In 2003, 56 percent of passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts.
(Source: NHTSA, 2005)
In 2003, 73 percent of restrained passenger vehicle occupants who were involved in fatal crashes survived. Forty-two percent of those not restrained survived. (Source: NHTSA, 2005)

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Related Links
Seat belt laws by state (IIHS)
Seat belt statistics (MADD stats & resources)

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shorty

they ain't coroners aren't allowed to put seat belts down as a cause of death

scooprandell

my best friend is a paramedic an in twenty years of responding to car crashes he has never had to unbuckle a dead person.

mister ss

9 out of 10 times they will save your life in an accident.

Albert Henry

very safe while driving particularly (braking) sudden brake. unsafe when it comes to static fire accident.

rex_rrracefab

Nothing is ALWAYS safe, but seat belts are safe and will reduce injury in 99% of all accidents. They won't prevent injury in all accidents, but they will REDUCE the severity. Without them, you are road kill. Why do you think race car drivers wear them? You are stupid not to. Do you look directly into the sun? It won't ALWAYS damage your eyes, so go ahead.

airbob61@verizon.net

While it has been shown that, statically, seat belts save lives, they also can and do cause serious internal injuries. I suppose that this is better than being launched through a windshield.

vincent c

they are safe, Mario Andretti wears one thats good enough for me .I f your the driver its the LAW

juno

I agree with you. More people get hurt when they use the selt belts than they do when they don't use them. I have done so much research on it and so many people are killed when they use the selt belt. That should not be law.

Cody C

they save peoples lives!! how are they not safe.... exactly they are always safe

james from saluda nc

i am alive today because i did NOTTT!!! wear my seatbelt one day -in a very heavy rain storm ran off the road and flipped over several times ,becuase i was not strapped in i roolled with the movement of the truck ,other tahn being stationary in the drivers side ,in which the roof caved in,during the accident ,.,my enetire body would have been crushed ,instead i walked away with a few minor scratches -im sure seat belst save lives ,but i do not think it should be a law -just a choice -such as weather or not you have a choice to drink the dangerous substance of alcohol or not !-- im sure the main factor is the flow of seat belt ticket money -it brings to our income source

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