It is mandatory by law to wear seat belts for the front two passengers. Even though the manufacturers provide seat belts for the rear seat passengers, no one bothers to use them. If there is one universal truth in the automotive world, it is this: Seat belts save lives. In spite of this, a lot of people in India are reluctant to wear seat belts.

Seat belts are a passive safety device unlike airbags. Once fastened, the seat belts are at work. In ordinary driving conditions, they keep you securely in your seats. On a hill road they prevent you from sliding around and let you have a commanding view of the road. Properly worn seat belts impart a sense of security.

None of this happens with airbags, which are an active safety device. Only in case of a collision do the airbags work. One word of advice that comes to mind immediately. If you smoke a pipe, don’t have it in your month while driving. Should the air bag open up, there is a good chance it will ram the pipe down your throat!

Driver’s pick If your car vibrates at high speed, your wheels need balancing

If you read your car’s Registration Certificate (R.C.) carefully, it mentions the seating capacity of your vehicle. Most of the time it is ignored, especially by taxis on N.H. 1 in Haryana. The accompanying photograph shows two people hanging out of an Omni Van. There are about six or eight people inside. In case of a mishap, half the people would be dead. There does not seem to be any policing on N.H. 1, which accounts for the high accident and fatality rate on this stretch of the road.

In theory, no one should be in a vehicle without a seat belt. However, we see a truck or three-wheeler loaded to the skies, and the helpers sitting on top of the cargo. In case of a collision and the vehicle coming to a sudden halt, the labourers will be catapulted over the vehicle and onto the tarmac. The results are obvious.

Not a single bus in India, to my knowledge, has seat belts, including the fancy Volvo bus. For a seat belt to function properly, the lap portion should be worn low across the pelvis, not the waist. The shoulder strap should be across and over the outside shoulder, not under the arm. This is seen often enough.

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While fastening the seat belt, make sure the strap is not twisted. A twisted strap won’t function and will let you down. When unfastening the seat belt, make sure it retracts completely. This is usually the time when they twist. Be careful.

Make sure the seat belt buckle is inserted into the correct anchor-holder. Often the passenger hooks his belt into the driver’s anchor. Do not wear the seat belt over hard or breakable objects. The driver’s seat belt passes over the left side of the chest. It is normal to have a pen, spectacles or other objects in the breast pocket. Empty the pocket. Hard and pointed objects like pens could cause injury to the driver.

Never use a seat belt to restrain more than one person, like a child sitting in a mother’s lap. For a mother to strap herself in and then put a child in her lap is very dangerous. It puts the child right next to the dashboard, and in case of a collision, the mother gets thrown forward, crushing the child with her body weight against the dashboard.

Should pregnant women use seat belts? It depends how many months pregnant they are, but your doctor is the best adviser. If in doubt, sit in the back seat with a cushion or pillow in your lap. Bashing into the backrest of the seat in front, which is padded, will be of great help. If you have been in a crash and the seat belt came into use and was stressed, it may be necessary to replace the entire assembly. It saved your life once; it will do it again.

Finally, if you have airbags in the car, you must, repeat must, use seat belts. By themselves, airbags are not effective; actually they could be detrimental. If you notice, the airbag compartment in your car is marked SRS airbag — supplementary restraint system.

Happy motoring.

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