SEAT BEAT
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Facts about the seat belt
1. Motor vehicles crashes are the leading cause of death among people age 44 and younger and the number one cause of head and spinal cord injury.
2. Approximately 35,000 people die in motor vehicles crashes each year. About 50 percent (17,000) of these people could be saved if they wore their safety belts.
3. More than 90 percent of all motorists believe safety belts are good idea, but less than 14 percent actually use them.
4. For every one percent increase in safety belt use, 172 lives and close to $ 100 million in annual injury and death cost could be saved.
5. Safety belts when used properly reduce the number of serious traffic injuries by 50 percent and fatalities by 60_70 percent.
6. For maximum protection safety belts should be fastened before traveling any distance or speed. Seventy _ five percent of crash deaths and injuries occur within 25 miles of home. More than half of all injury producing motor vehicles crashes involves low speeds under 40 m.p.h.
7. Motorists are 25 times are more likely to be killed or seriously injured when they are: thrown clear: than when remain inside their vehicle.
8. In a 30 m.p.h collision an unbelted 160 lb. person can strike another passenger, crash through a windshield and / or slam into the vehicle‘s interior with a 4,800 lb. force .
9. Motorists can increase safety belt usage by example and verbal reminders. Nine out of 10 people example and verbal reminder. Nine out of 10 people buckle up when asked.
10. Safety belt use is one of the best defenses against the unpredictable action of the drunk driver.
11. Today over 25 countries (including Nigeria) around the world have some type of mandatory safety belt law. Results of these laws were measured; usage rate went from 20_25 percent after passage.
12. A common cause of death and injury to children in motor vehicle is being crushed by adults who are not wearing safety belts. One out of four serious injuries to passengers is being thrown into each other.
13. About 80 percent of all injuries to children in car crashes are injuries to the head, causing brain damage, permanent disfigurement, epilepsy or death.
14. Of every 100 children who die in motor vehicle crashes at least 80 would survive if they were properly secured in an approved child safety seat or safety belts.
15. Three out of families with child safety seats fail to use them correctly. Adults need to follow manufacturer’s instructions and secure seats properly before every trip.
16. An estimated 80 percent of American children area immunized against contagious diseases, but less than 10 percent are properly restrained when riding in a motor vehicle.
17. Seat belt usage reduces the chance of traffic-related fatalities by 45 percent.
18. In most cases, wearing a seat belt prevents ejection from the vehicle. Statistics show 75 percent of drivers ejected during a car accident were killed. Only one percent of them were wearing a seat belt.
19. Wearing a seat belt minimizes the body‘s contact with the interior of the car resulting in fewer injuries.
20. Seat belt spread the force of impact over larger parts of the body reducing severity of injuries .injuries sustained when not wearing a seat belt can be up to five times greater.
21. Average medical costs for belts driver are 60 percent less than for unbelted drivers.
HOW THE SEAT BEAT WORKS
CRASHING BASICS:
Every object in the car including the people in the inertia of their own which is different from that of the car. However, the car speed and the riders speed ultimately become the same and therefore both move as a single entity. Now, imagine a scene where the car were to hit an object, the car would stop suddenly, however you would still be moving at the same speed as your inertial is different. Not having a seat belt would mean that you would either bump into the steering wheel or go flying through the windshield at the speed at which the car was travelling.
It must be understood that in event of a crash, a force is exerted on you to slow you down. However, the different between life and death comes from how and where the force is exerted. For instance, if you crash into the windshield with your head, the stopping power is focused on one of the most susceptible regions of your body. Also, as glass is hard it stops quickly thereby increasing the chances of a fatal or severe injury. A seatbelt comes into picture by transferring the stopping force to stronger areas of the body and for a longer duration.
HOW A SEATBELT HELPS?
A regular seat belt comprises of a lap belt, which lies on the pelvis and a shoulder belt, which covers the chest. These two belts are firmly secured to the car’s body to prevent riders from falling from their seats. On wearing the belt properly, majority of the stopping force is applied to the rib cage and the pelvis, which are comparatively stronger body areas. As the belts stretch over a greater part of the body, too much damage is prevented.
EXTENDING AND RETRACTING:
Seatbelt have a properly that enables them to extend and retract, allowing you to bend forward although the belt is reasonably tight. The usual seatbelt system comprises of belt webbing which is in turn attached to a retractor mechanism. A spool found at the core of the retractor, a torque is applied to the spool, thus rotating it to wind up extra webbing. In the event of a collision, the spool is prevented from rotating by a locking mechanism present within the retractor.
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