Seat belts
moment a vehicle starts moving, a type of en-
er gy call
ed “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 ener-
gy is multiplied by four.
Given that the passengers of the vehicle in
our example do not have their seat belts fas-
tened, in the event of a collision the entire
amount of the passengers' kinetic energy will
be only absorbed by the mentioned impact.
Even at speeds of 30 km/h (19 mph) to
50 km/h (30 mph), the forces acting on bod-
ies in a collision can easily exceed one tonne
(1000 kg). At greater speed these forces are
even higher.
Vehicle occupants not wearing seat belts are
not “attached” to the vehicle. In a head-on
collision, they will move forward at the same
speed their vehicle was travelling just before
the impact. This example applies not only to
head-on collisions, but to all accidents and
collisions. Even at low speeds the forces acting on the
body in a collision are so gr
eat that it is not
possible to brace oneself with one's hands. In
the event of a head-on collision, vehicle oc-
cupants not wearing a seat belt will be
thrown uncontrollably forward and will col-
lide, for example, against the steering wheel,
instrument panel or windscreen ››› Fig. 7.
It is also important for rear passengers to
wear seat belts properly, as they could other-
wise be thrown forward violently through the
vehicle interior in an accident. If a rear seat
occupant is not wearing a seat belt, they are
not only endangering themselves but also
the occupants of the front seats ››› Fig. 8. How to properly adjust your
seat belt
Buckle and unbuckl
e seat belt Fig. 9
Insert the latch plate of the seat belt into
the buckl e
. Fig. 10
Release the seat belt
