Seat Belts - Better than insurance...
Seat Belts - Better than insurance...
Today alot of 4x4 clubs & organisations are in the habit of organising off road events on very high competition levels, but people who take part are not sufficiantly educated regarding thier safety.
The most important safety feature on any motorised vehicle I belive is the SEAT BELT, it does not matter if your vehicle is equiped with the most state of the art Air Bag systems or Anti Collision warning system or covered with the most comprehensive car insurance policy; if the occupants are not safely straped in; Airbags do not replace seatbelts. A seatbelt allows you to hit the airbag while it's deflating without a seatbelt, an inflating airbag can hurt you.. It only takes an object moving at less than 10Km/P to sustain injuries in the event of a collission.
"Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior. 63% of people killed in accidents are not wearing seat belts. Wearing a seat belt use is still the single most effective thing we can do to save lives and reduce injuries."
In a collision, three things can happen very quickly:
• your car collides with another vehicle or object,
• you collide with the inside of your car, and
• your organs collide with the inside of your body.
That's why it's essential to wear a seatbelt.
A crash at a speed of 50 km/h produces an impact on your body equivalent to falling from a three story building. If you're not wearing a seatbelt during a roll-over accident, your chances of being injured or killed are even higher.
The habit of wearing a seatbelt should be stressed to all persons who get behind the driving seat of a vehile, not only the front row but also the back row passengers should also be convinced to wear seatbelts. Most recorded collissions are rear impact, the danger is that though being a passenger at the back you have more chance of being thrown about. When in a SUV or Multi Purpose vehicle alot of people tend to get a false sense of security. These are not indestructable vehicles!
Wearing a seatbelt is not rocket science, just drag across and click. Make sure it is securly locked in.
In Sri Lanka, the authorities are yet to make legislation to make seatbelts mandatory, since its is already mandatory for all motorised vehicles to be tested for emmissions why not make it compulsory to check the proper function of the seatbelts also? I know alot of people will turn red when they read this but Don't you think you and your passengers deserve the chance to walk away from an accident rather than being payed tribute at your own funeral?!
All motorsport authorities and clubs should educate the importance of wearing the seatbelts. Make it a habit, make it a religion!
Keep Safe...Don't just be another statistical figure!
Ush