9 excuses we come up with not to buckle up

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Risk is a noble business, but not on the road.

Sadly, but true: most of us buckle up in a car, not for safety, but to avoid a fine. However, among the drivers there are also those who, despite the risk of parting with money, do not use a seat belt for ideological reasons. These are the most common reasons many people drive without seatbelts.

1. Why a belt if there is an airbag

A deployed airbag with an unfastened seat belt is dangerous in itself. To begin with, many cars equipped with airbags have the electronics configured in such a way that the airbags are deactivated when the seat belt is not fastened. If you are not wearing a seatbelt, the pillow in these cars simply will not work.

If you deceived the system and used the belt plug, then in case of an accident, you will be thrown forward by inertia, towards the pillow. Because it shoots you in the face at tremendous speed, head and neck injuries are guaranteed. This would not have happened if you had been secured with a belt.

2. I'm uncomfortable

Some people complain that the belt hinders movement. However, the driver does not make many movements: he turns the steering wheel, presses the pedals, changes speeds, turns his head, presses the buttons on the panel. If the belt gets in the way of something, it is trying to open the glove compartment, passenger door, take off or put on outerwear, lean out the window or reach something in the back seat - everything that cannot be done while driving.

As annoying as it is, in these cases, the belt further contributes to your safety, because it prevents you from doing other things while driving.

In most cases, the inconvenience of the belt is simply the result of not being in the habit of wearing it.

3. I do not have time to unfasten and burn

This is a very popular but unfounded excuse. For the car to catch fire, the collision must be very violent. In this case, the unfastened driver will break his chest, head and neck before he can open the door and jump out. If you expect to escape through the windshield, then remember that this is an extremely rare case. Much more often in such situations, those who were driving with a belt survive, managed to unfasten and run out of the car.

According to researchers, in 68% of cases, the source of injury in a collision is the steering column, in 28.5% - the windshield, in 23.1% - the instrument panel, in 12.5% - the side pillar. This is what you have to face before you burn out.

Even if a miracle happens and you stay alive, you will have such injuries that will not allow you to quickly jump out and gain those few seconds that it would have taken to unfasten the belt.

4. The belt will strangle me

To prevent this from happening, you need to properly adjust the belt. Position it so that it goes over your shoulder and not over your neck. In this case, you can adjust both the belt itself and the height of the chair.

5. Yes, it’s five minutes to go, I’m careful

According to statistics, about 80% of all road accidents happen at speeds below 65 km / h. The vast majority of all fatalities occur within 40 kilometers of the victim's home.

You may be the most experienced, careful and attentive driver in the world, but this does not guarantee that you will not be hit by a lost truck. Five minutes is enough for this.

6. I am generally a passenger

If you ride in the front passenger seat, in the event of an accident, you face everything the same as the driver, with the exception of the ribs broken by the steering wheel. But if you are not wearing a seatbelt, you are guaranteed a chest bump against the dashboard.

As for the rear passengers, in a collision, they crash into the front seats by inertia. If this happens at high speed, serious injury is guaranteed. In this case, not only passengers sitting behind will suffer, but also those who sit in front. Something like this will happen:

7. I have a baby in my arms

This is the worst thing you can think of to keep your child safe while traveling. At the moment of the collision, you most likely will not hold the child, so he will fly forward and hit everything that gets in his way. And even if you manage to keep him, you will be thrown forward together and the main blow will fall on the child. Children can only be transported using special child restraints.

8. The belt crumples and stains clothes, and also wipes the fur on a fur coat

To prevent belts from staining clothes, they need to be washed sometimes, like all other interior parts. It is enough to wipe them with a damp sponge once every couple of weeks along the entire length. If you are afraid of ruining your fur coat, change into a jacket in the car. To prevent your clothes from wrinkling, you can buy special soft belt pads.

In the event of a serious accident, the end can come to you, to your fur coat, and to a perfectly ironed shirt.

9. Belts are useless

According to statistics, in a collision, the use of seat belts saves the life of almost 50% of drivers and passengers in the front seats and 25% of passengers in the rear seats. When the car rolls over, a fastened seat belt reduces the likelihood of the death of the driver and passengers by five times.

Not a bad performance, considering that we are talking about human lives.