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Safety
–
Ensur
e that the seat belts can be fastened
at all times and are not damaged.
WARNING
●
If seat belts ar
e worn incorrectly or not at
all, the risk of severe injuries increases. The
optimal protection from seat belts can be
achieved only if you use them properly.
●
Never allow two passengers (even chil-
dren) to share the same seat belt.
●
Never unbuckle a seat belt while the ve-
hicle is in motion. Risk of fatal injury.
●
The seat belt should never lie on hard or
fragile objects (such as glasses or pens,
etc.) because this can cause injuries.
●
Do not allow the seat belt to be damaged
or jammed, or to rub on any sharp edges.
●
Never wear the seat belt under the arm or
in any other incorrect position.
●
Bulky and unfastened clothing (such as
an overcoat over a sweater) impairs the
proper fit and function of the seat belts, re-
ducing their capacity to protect.
●
The slot in the seat belt buckle must not
be blocked with paper or other objects, as
this can prevent the latch plate from en-
gaging securely.
●
Never use seat belt clips, fastening rings
or similar items to alter the position of the
belt webbing.
●
Frayed or torn seat belts or damage to
the connections, belt retractors or parts of
the buckle could cause severe injuries in
the e
vent of an accident. Therefore, you
must check the condition of all seat belts
at regular intervals.
●
Seat belts which have been worn in an
accident and have been stretched must be
replaced by a specialised workshop. Re-
newal may be necessary even if there is no
apparent damage. The belt anchorage
should also be checked.
●
Do not attempt to repair a damaged seat
belt yourself. The seat belts must not be re-
moved or modified in any way.
●
The belts must be kept clean, otherwise
the retractors may not work properly.
Head-on collisions and the laws of
physics
Fig. 12
A driver not wearing a seat belt is
thr
own forward violently.
Fig. 13 The unbelted passenger in the rear
seat is thr
own forward violently, hitting the driv-
er who is wearing a seat belt.
The effects of the laws of physics in the case
of a head-on collision ar
e easy to explain: the
moment a vehicle starts moving, a type of en-
ergy called “kinetic energy” starts acting on
both the vehicle and its passengers.
The amount of “kinetic energy” depends on
the speed of the vehicle and on the weight of
the vehicle and of its passengers. The higher
they are, the more energy there is to be “ab-
sorbed” in the event of 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 kinetic ener-
gy is multiplied by four.
Given that the passengers of the vehicle in
our example do not have their seat belts fas-
tened, in the event of a collision the entire
20
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