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Seat belts
Using seat belts
Twisted seat belt
If it i
s difficult removing the seat belt from
the guide, the seat belt may have become
twisted inside the side trim after being
wound too quickly on unfastening:
●
Pull out the seat belt completely, carefully
pulling on the latch plate.
●
Untwist the belt and guide it back, assist-
ing it by hand.
The seat belt must be fastened even if it is
impossible to untwist it. In this case, the
twisted area must not be in an area in direct
contact with your body. Have the seat belt
untwisted urgently by a specialised work-
shop.
WARNING
An improperly handled seat belt increases
the risk of
sustaining severe or fatal injuries.
●
Regularly check that the seat belts and
their components are in perfect condition.
●
Always keep your seat belt clean.
●
Do not jam or damage the seat belt or rub it
with sharp edges.
●
Make sure there are no liquids or foreign
bodies on the latch plate and in the buckle.
Head-on collisions and the laws of
ph
y
s
ics
Fig. 70 A driver not wearing a seat belt is
thr
o
wn f
orward violently
Fig. 71 The unbelted passenger in the rear
se
at
i
s thrown forward violently, hitting the
driver who is wearing a seat belt.
It is easy to explain how the laws of physics
w
ork
in the c
ase of a head-on collision: when
a vehicle starts moving, a type of energy
called “kinetic energy” is created both in the
passengers and inside the vehicle.
The amount of “kinetic energy” depends on
the speed of the vehicle and the weight of
the vehicle and its passengers. The higher
the speed and the greater the weight, the
more energy there is to be “absorbed” in an
accident.
The most significant factor, however, is the
speed of the vehicle. If the speed doubles
from 25 km/h (15 mph) to 50 km/h
(30 mph), for example, the corresponding ki-
netic energy is multiplied by four.
Because the vehicle occupants in our exam-
ple are not restrained by seat belts, in the
event of crashing against a wall, all of the oc-
cupants' kinetic energy will be absorbed
solely by said impact.
Even at speeds of 30 km/h (19 mph) to
50 km/h (30 mph), the forces acting on bod-
ies in a collision can easily exceed one tonne
(1000 kg). At greater speed these forces are
even higher.
Vehicle occupants not wearing seat belts are
not “attached” to the vehicle. In a head-on
collision, they will move forward at the same
speed their vehicle was travelling just before
the impact. This example applies not only to
head-on collisions, but to all accidents and
collisions.
»
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Technical dataAdviceOperationEmergenciesSafety
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