Seat belt

:This article is about the safety device. For the band see The Seatbelts.

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A seat belt, sometimes called a safety belt, is a harness designed to hold the occupant of an car or other vehicle in place if a collision occurs. Seat belts are intended to reduce injuries by stopping the wearer from hitting hard interior elements of the vehicle or from being thrown from the vehicle. In cars seat belts also prevent rear-seat passengers from crashing into those in the front seats.

Related Topics:
Seat belt - Car - Vehicle - Collision - Injuries - Seat

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TYPES OF SEATBELTS:

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Lap: Adjustable strap that goes over the waist. Used frequently in older cars, and is used today in the rear middle seats and in aeroplanes.

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Sash: Adjustable strap that goes over the shoulder. Used mainly in the 1960's, but almost ineffective because it is very easy to slip out of in an accident, because there is no lap belt to hold you down.

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Lap and Sash: Combination of the two above. Mainly used in the 1960's and 1970's, usually in the rear.

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Inertia reel: Used almost universally today. A retractor reel lets out the strap or pulls it back as needed, and in the event of an accident the reel locks, preventing any more srap to come out and holding the passenger in the car. It is the safest type of seatbelt

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The three-point innovation helps spread out the energy of the moving body inside of the car during a wreck. It spreads that energy out over the stronger parts of the body. This includes the chest, pelvis, and shoulders. Until recently shoulder belts were only available in the front seats of the cars, the back seats having only lap belts. Evidence of the potential for lap belts to cause separation of the lumbar vertebrae and the sometimes associated paralysis, or "seat belt syndrome", has led to a revision of safety regulations in nearly all of the developed world requiring that all seats in a vehicle be equipped with three-point belts.

Related Topics:
Lumbar vertebrae - Paralysis

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Five-point harnesses are safer but more restrictive seat belts, typically found in child safety seats, and also in racing cars. The lap portion is connected to a belt between the legs and there are two shoulder belts, making a total of five points of attachment to the seat.

Related Topics:
Child safety seat - Racing - Leg

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