The seat belt is one of the most important devices in vehicles, since it is not only responsible for ensuring that passengers suffer as few injuries as possible in the event of an accident, but also, in many cases, it is responsible for these come to save life.
For this reason, we speak of a mandatory device in all cars, regardless of the seat occupied (whether it is the front or the rear). However, when talking about seat belts, we must keep in mind that they are not all the same; in fact, you can find a wide variety of belts that, depending on their characteristics, will adapt better or worse to each person and situation.
Seat belt use
As we mentioned in the introduction, the seat belt is a device that protects the passenger in the event of a car accident. It is essential to bear in mind that, in the event of a collision, the vehicle in motion causes passengers to be displaced from the seating position in the forward direction.
This impact carries a great danger, since passengers can be thrown through the windshield glass or hit the front seats when sitting behind. These impacts usually lead, in the best of cases, to serious injuries. For this reason, when we have a seat belt, we greatly reduce the risk of injury and death in the event of an accident at the wheel.
Point seat belts
Within the types of seat belts that can be found today, most of them are classified according to the tie points they have. That is, the fastening points that secure the passenger in the seat in which he is located. They are the following:
- Two-point seatbelt – This is the seatbelt commonly found on airplanes or on some buses. It is characterized by holding on both sides of the hip. This makes it not the safest of all, as it can cause separation of the lumbar spine in some accidents.
- Three-point belt – This belt was invented by Volvo in 1959 and is considered one of the safest belts even today. This belt is based on the two aforementioned anchor points but also includes a third fastening point above one of the passenger’s shoulders. In this way, the risk of separation of the lumbar spine is avoided.
- Four-point seat belt – This type of seat belt is a harness in itself. It combines the lateral fastenings of the hips with respective fastenings on the shoulders.
- Five-point belt: They are the same as four-point belts but, in this case, an additional holding point is added between the legs, which increases safety by being considerably more restrictive. They are mainly used in child seats and in competition vehicles.
Other types of seat belts
In addition to seat belts called points, there are other similar types. The most common are the following:
- X-belt: this is a seat belt that is usually used as a complement to the usual three-point belt in cars. The X-belt is made up of two anchors that sit diagonally across the passenger, creating the final look of the letter X, from which it gets its name.
- Automatic seat belts: they are currently in disuse, since they presented problems in the event of a vehicle breakdown or if the door was not closed properly. Although it is true that they had the advantage of requiring less collaboration from the passenger, they were not as effective as expected, which is why they ended up being discarded.
- Ergonomic belts: this is a very broad type of belt, since it currently has more than 70 models on the market. This type of seat belts adapts to the physiognomy of the passenger. The most common are those that, like a girdle, hold the passenger around the abdominal perimeter.
dog seat belts
If you have ever taken your pet by car, you will know that animals tend to move and be restless during the journey, since it is not a place where they feel particularly comfortable. Seat belts for dogs are not only a great option to keep them still and out of the way of the driver, but they are also an essential tool to ensure their safety and prevent them from suffering serious injuries in the event of an accident.
- If your dog is small: if your pet is small, it can travel in a dog carrier without problems.
- If your dog is large (10 kg or more): If your dog is otherwise too large to fit in a carrier, you must seat him in the rear seats with a special double-anchor harness that attaches to the seat belts of the passenger seat. own car.
