Just watched one where poor Richard gets killed in an RTA.
Gist is that he wasn't wearing a seatbelt and shows him bouncing off the airbag
after reshaping the screen.
Then goes on to say what killed him was his organs being torn as his body stops.
So how is a seatbelt going to stop that ? The whole idea is to restrain your body !
Having been first on the scene of a 15 year old girl killed through not wearing a seatbelt and destroying the screen with her head, i'll take my
chances of my organs being torn while wearing my belt.
I dont get the logic of the advert myself either but never mind - if it gets anyone to belt up then i'll happily accept some scaremongering.
I was arguing with the missus about this today. My point is that if you're doing 30mph and the car comes to a sudden stop your heart will still do 30mph whether you stop on the seatbelt or the steering wheel. The difference here is a couple of feet...
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
I was arguing with the missus about this today. My point is that if you're doing 30mph and the car comes to a sudden stop your heart will still do 30mph whether you stop on the seatbelt or the steering wheel. The difference here is a couple of feet...
Ah but with these pre-tensioners you get pulled into the seat. That should do even more damage.
(I know it doesn't otherwise it wouldn't have been approved just playing devil's advocate and don't believe everything they tell
you)
quote:
Originally posted by Ninehigh
Ah but with these pre-tensioners you get pulled into the seat. That should do even more damage.
Having been in a head on collision with a mountain in the days before airbags and wearing tight full harness seatbelts I can testify that the belts
stretch enough to prevent instantaneous deceleration. I remember looking down at the steering wheel with my head pressed gently against the windscreen
as the tail overtook the nose, the belt then pulled me back into the seat and we rolled back down the mountain as the roof came down to meet the
dashboard.
Only damage to people was my passenger had a small grass-burn on her elbow from the mountain side and the Escort didn't look too good.
Needless to say I need no convincing re the value of seatbelts as we would of both most probably have ended halfway through the windscreen with the
car flipping onto us and then rolling back down over us.
Yep - it was "Jeramaya" the escort in my avatar 
and she was no more after that.
[Edited on 8/2/10 by Ivan]
which is also why after an accident the seat belt should be replaced - it only stretches once.
(and why buying second hand could be a final economy).
The biggest problem with seat belts ( and having met a dash then windscreen at 40mph, I am most definately for them) is that they never seem to be
fitted correctly.
The shoulder strap should go over your shoulder, hence the name, not across your neck.
The lap belt, ditto, should go across your lap not your stomach.
So why don't manufacturers fit them properly and why doesn't the goverment make them? 
quote:
Originally posted by Confused but excited.
The biggest problem with seat belts ( and having met a dash then windscreen at 40mph, I am most definately for them) is that they never seem to be fitted correctly.
The shoulder strap should go over your shoulder, hence the name, not across your neck.
The lap belt, ditto, should go across your lap not your stomach.
So why don't manufacturers fit them properly and why doesn't the goverment make them?
Is your seat and seat belt adjusted correctly? The belt in my ancient Fiat goes over my shoulder and whilst the lap belt doesn't exactly go over what I would call my lap, it's well under my stomach.
Cars decelerate relatively slowly in a crash as a result of well-designed energy absorption sections at the front. A typical crash will see a vehicle
deceleration of about 20g. If you're held to the seat by a belt your body will see the same - perfectly survivable.
If you aren't fixed to the vehicle, the vehicle decelerates at around 20g while you carry on moving at the original speed. By the time you hit
the steering wheel or windscreen the vehicle has pretty much stopped and you hit the solid object in front of you (with nothing to slowly absorb the
impact) and experience many times the deceleration the car did.
As the ad says, it is the internal injuries of your major organs impacting other things inside which is the killer.
[Edited on 12/2/10 by matt_claydon]
I repaired a Fiesta van which had hit a parked Land Rover and the passenger was not wearing his belt. I know the lad and he was not seriously injured but the screen had a perfect shaped indentation of his head, he must have ducked his face and hit it with the top of his head. They had just pulled off the drive and gone round a corner doing less than 20mph I would say as the road is not suitable for any more. I put my belt on to move the car across the road as it has become second nature and is no imposition.
Are we discussing the use off seat-belts?
1984: first year UK; thanks to them, minus 28% less casualties!
Don't need to say more Imo.
or this 
[Edited on 12/2/10 by t.j.]