OCCUPANT PROTECTION DEVICES

Omega School Of Motoring
We Cover All Your Driving Needs

Hi and welcome to the first of a series of road safety articles brought to you by the Omega Driving School.

The aim of these articles is to

• Promote a sense of responsibility and concern for all road users.
  


• Give information on up-to-date Defensive Driving Techniques
  


• · Improve knowledge and awareness of the Highway code and the Road Traffic Ac
  

• · To give technical information on matters affecting passenger and vehicle safety

In this issue we are going to look at the various occupant protection devices found in motor vehicles to protect us in a traffic accident. Let’s begin with the safety belt.

Remember in St.Lucia it is now law for all drivers and front seat passengers to wear a safety belt if the vehicle is fitted with one. We also recommend rear seat passengers to buckle up.

The purpose of the safety belt is to:

* Protect you by absorbing the impact forces in collision.
* Seat belt helps you to stay in control of your vehicle by keeping you in your seat.

It has been known for passengers in the rear seat to kill people in the front due to the severe impact forces involved in a collision. People who wear a safety belt have a 45% chance of surviving a serious traffic accident, and a 50% chance surviving without serious injuries.

WEARING AND MAINTENANCE:

Safety belt should be worn so that the lap belt is low and snug across the hips, not across the stomach.

The shoulder strap should be snug across the chest and on your shoulder not touching the neck.

Keep the belt clean, wipe only with mild soapy water, check for cuts or fraying along the entire length of the belt and replace if damaged.

Check belt for smooth operation, tug belt sharply to check lockup mechanism...

After a serious collision any belts in use at the time of impact must be replaced or thoroughly inspected for continued use.


When your vehicle is involved in a frontal collision certain forces act on your vehicle and you. We have to understand this to appreciate the importance of wearing a safety belt.

Imagine that you are driving down a road and you are involved in a collision at 30 mph, on impact your vehicle will come to a stop in a fraction of a second, once the vehicle stops, everybody inside the vehicle that is not wearing a safety belt will continue to move forward at the original speed you were traveling at the moment of impact .

Your body will hit the steering wheel, dash board, or windscreen with an impact force of 3 1/2 tons, that is about the weight of an elephant. On striking the interior of the car your body then stops dead, now all your internal organs (brain hart liver intestines etc) accelerate to your impact speed and hit your body walls with an impact force of 3.5 tons at 30 mph, now this is when the real injuries occur

Even at a speed of only10 mph the forces of impact is the same as trying to catch 200 lbs bag of cement dropped from a 1st floor window.

Some people falsely believe that they do not need to wear a safety belt because in a crash they will be able to brace themselves against the forces of impact, you can now see that it is not possible to do this. Your limbs simply cannot withstand such forces of impact. And remember the greater the speed involved in a crash the greater the forces of impact.

Some drivers believe that just because they are wearing a safety belt they are safe, and can therefore drive in an unsafe manner, as the safety belt will protect them. This is not the case. In a severe frontal collision the belt will hold you in place but due to the speed involved on impact the passenger compartment collapses in around you, and moves towards you to meet your body resulting in severe injuries.

Now let us look at some common excuses people give for not wearing a safety belt.

1. I am a good driver.

FACT-- A lot of other drivers are not. In your lifetime you have a one in three chance of being involved in a fatal crash. Even if you are a good driver, safety belts are your protection from other drivers.

2. I can brace myself if I see a crash coming.

FACT--In a crash at only 30 mph your body will be thrown forward with a force of 3.5 tons. This is much more force than wrist, elbows and other arm bones can stand, it is simply not possible to brace yourself against such forces, and remember the higher the speed on impact the greater the forces on your body.

3. I don’t want to be trapped in a burning or submerge vehicle.

FACT--Less than half of 1% of injury produce in collision involve fire or submerging, what you see at the movies is not true; cars do not just burst into flames after every collision. If you are not wearing a safety belt you may be thrown from your vehicle onto the road surface where you have 25 times greater chance of serious injury than if you remain in your seat. The impact forces in a collision can be great enough to fling you body as far as 150 feet that is about 15 car length.

4. When in the rear seat of a vehicle I do not need to wear a seat belt.

FACT--Rear seat passengers can hit the back of the front seat with enough force to remove the seat from its mountings thus pinning front seat occupants between the seat and the dashboard with an even greater force. Rear seat passengers have been known to come over the top of the front seat hitting the front seat occupants in the back of the head and killing them.

5. I only need to wear safety belts when going on a long journey

FACT - -In the United Kingdom 75% of deaths or injuries occur less than 10 miles from home, wear your belt even for the shortest of journeys. It is better to have the protection and not need it, than to need it and not have it.

SEAT BELTS SAVE LIVES, BUCKLE UP YOUR SAFETY BELT BEFORE YOU START UP.

HEAD RESTS

Headrests protect in the event you are hit from the rear of the vehicle, in that
Situation as you are hit the impact pushes your vehicle forward.

Without the headrest your head will be forced violently backwards until it touches the top of the seat, this sudden neck stretching can cause a whiplash injury to the neck vertebrae and the spinal cord causing neck and spinal injuries that can leave you paralysed for life.

If the head is twisted back through more than about 900 it can be fatal. Proper placement of headrests can prevent injury. A proper placement is one in which the pointed or padded portion of the headrest is even with the back of the head.

OPEN PICK-UP VANS (TRAVEL AT YOUR OWN RISK).

It is very dangerous to travel in the cargo compartment of this type of vehicle.

When travelling in this type of motor vehicle it is safer to travel inside in a seat wearing a safety belt. If you must travel in the cargo compartment

DO NOT

* Sit on the edges or the tailboard of the vehicle
* Stand up in the back

The impact forces in a collision can be great enough to throw your body as far as 150 feet away from the site of impact, that about 15 car lengths.

If you must travel in the cargo compartment remember the safest position in the cargo compartment is for you to sit on the floor with your back resting on the rear of the passenger compartment, this has the effect of lowering your centre of gravity and gives your body something firm to brace against at the moment of impact.
So what if the floor is always dirty … remember it is better to have a dirty pair of pants than to die a horrific death in the back of this type of vehicle.

TRAVEL AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Remember if you are injured when travelling in the back of this type of vehicle you will not be covered by the driver’s insurance policy, and cannot make any claims for compensation.


Prepared by
Martin P. Joseph
Driving Examiner