Seat Belts - Reality and Myths

Wearing a seat belt is one of the simplest and most effective ways of protecting yourself as the driver or passenger in a car. This fact is well known, but each year around 20 per cent of all car occupants killed in road crashes were not wearing a restraint. Hundreds of other people are disabled for life in crashes where they were not wearing a seat belt.

So how do seat belts work?
Seat belts:
• decrease the time it takes an occupant to come to a stop on impact
• spread the impact force over a greater area of the body
• minimise contact with the interior of the vehicle
• prevent ejection.

How you can help yourself?
By law every person travelling in a car must wear a seat belt if one is available.

If you are the driver, before the car starts moving make sure:
• your own seat belt is properly fastened and adjusted
• your passengers’ seat belts are properly fastened and adjusted
• any children are properly restrained.

If you are a passenger:
• make sure your seat belt is properly fastened and adjusted
• encourage the driver and other passengers to buckle up.

Myths about seat belts
The following common beliefs about wearing (or not wearing) seat belts are untrue.
•It’s only a short trip so I don’t need to wear one.
Wrong. Most road crashes occur within 10 km of home, so it’s very important to buckle up on a short trip.
•I don’t need a seat belt because I don’t travel very fast.
Wrong. A crash at 40 km/h has the same impact as falling from a two storey building onto concrete.
•The back seat is safer.
Wrong. Research shows that the back seat is not safer than the front seat if you’re not wearing a seat belt.
• It’s not my concern if my passenger does not wear a seat belt.
Wrong. In a crash, an unrestrained passenger is a lethal weapon capable of killing or seriously injuring others in the car.
• Pregnant women don’t have to wear seat belts.
Wrong. Only if the passenger carries a certificate signed by a qualified medical practitioner stating that there are medical reasons for not using a seat belt can a pregnant women travel without one. A seat belt worn correctly will protect both the mother and the unborn child.