Safety of Seatbelts
A safe passenger compartment is an important part of vehicle design. The front and rear of a car are designed to collapse on impact while the passenger compartment remains undisturbed. Your chances of survival are, therefore, greatly increased if you remain in the passenger compartment. Your seatbelt will keep you in your seat and will reduce the forces your body experiences in a crash.
In states and provinces around the world, every vehicle occupant must wear a seatbelt where they are provided in a properly adjusted and securely fastened manner. Obey the law and increase your chances of surviving an accident. Put on your seatbelt every time you ride in a vehicle. To be most effective, seatbelts must be used properly. First, put the lap belt on, adjusting it to fit over your pelvis, and pull it snug. The lap belt is designed to take the force on your pelvis – not your stomach. Keep the lap portion low.
Next, adjust the shoulder portion of the seatbelt over your chest area. How you do this will vary from vehicle to vehicle. Some adjust automatically; others work like a window blind. Adjust your shoulder belt to make it snug, yet comfortable. Shoulder belts should never be worn behind your back or under your arm. Drivers are legally responsible to ensure that passengers under 16 years of age use seatbelts where available and child safety seats, when appropriate. If not, the driver may be charged. Passengers aged 16 years and older are responsible for buckling themselves up.
Child Restraints
In collisions, children can acquire severe injuries by being thrown about or completely out of the passenger compartment. This can happen more easily than with adults because they have heavy heads in relation to the rest of their bodies. Their necks and bodies are not strong enough to withstand the impact of a collision or sudden braking. In Saskatchewan, small children must be properly fitted into approved child restraints that are correctly installed. Children who weigh less than 18 kg (40 lbs.) must be buckled into proper child safety restraints that are fastened to the vehicle by a seatbelt and any other straps specified by the manufacturer no matter who is transporting them – parent, grandparent, and caregiver. For more information on child restraints, contact SGI Traffic Safety Promotion at (306) 775-6179 or 1-800-667-9868 extension 6179.
Air Bags
Major automobile manufacturers are now equipping many vehicles with air bags as standard or optional equipment. The tough fabric bags inflate in crashes over 16 km/h, cushioning an occupant’s neck, head and chest in moderate to severe impact. Children should never be put in the front seat of cars equipped with passenger-side air bags. The force of an air bag deploying is enough to critically injure or kill an infant or small child Air bags are not a replacement for seatbelts. Seatbelts alone provide all the protection a person needs in low and moderate-speed impacts. Air bags are most effective in high-speed crashes, where they often prevent serious injury.
Driver-side and passenger-side air bags are common features in newer automobiles. Air bags are also installed in the doors of some cars to prevent passengers from hitting their heads against the windows or pillars of the car during a collision. Occupants must wear seatbelts to protect themselves in these circumstances and to ensure that in the event of a frontal crash, they remain in the seating position necessary for air bags to be effective.
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