12
Seat Belt
1
The other sections of this Chapter will explain
in greater detail how to ensure your safety to the
maximum extent.
However, please note that even when a seat belt
is used correctly and the airbag has been
inflated, it is still not possible to completely rule
out the risk of death in accidents involving
violent vehicle collisions.
Why should seat belt be used?
When a vehicle is in a frontal collision, the seat
belt can reduce the forward inertia of the driver
and passengers and minimize impact injuries on
the vehicle passengers.
Physical Principles of Frontal
Collisions
When driving, the vehicle and passengers all
have energy (kinetic energy). The intensity of
this energy depends on the vehicle speed and
the mass of the passengers on board. The greater
the speed and the mass, the greater the energy
released during a collision. Among these factors,
the vehicle’s speed plays a decisive role. For
example, when the vehicle’s speed increases
from 25 Km/h to 50 Km/h, the kinetic energy
released will increase four times.
Passengers who do not fasten their seat belts are
not “combined” with the vehicle into one body.
Consequently, during a frontal collision, these
vehicle occupants will continue to move
forward at the pre-collision speed. The physical
principle of collision introduced in this example
applies to both frontal vehicle collisions and all
other types of vehicle collision.