Safety
44
WARNING
•
If seat belts are 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 children)
to share the same seat belt.
•
Never unbuckle a seat belt while the vehi-
cle 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, reducing
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 engaging
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
event of an accident. Therefore, you must
check the condition of all seat belts at regu-
lar intervals.
•
Seat belts which have been worn in an ac-
cident and have been stretched must be re-
placed by a specialised workshop. Renewal
may be necessary even if there is no appa-
rent 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. 40
A driver not wearing a seat belt may
be thrown forward violently.
Fig. 41
Any rear seat occupants not
wearing a seat belt may be thrown forward
violently, hitting the driver who is wearing
the seat belt.
The effects of the laws of physics in the case
of a head-on collision are 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 energy is
multiplied by four.
