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SEAT BELT SAFETY
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT – SEATBELTS
SAVE LIVES
If your seatbelt is twisted or caught in
the retractor or the belt guides, take the time to straighten
it out. A twisted seat belt may still fit around you, but may
not work properly in an accident.
Accidents don'’t only stress out
drivers. Your seat belts can be placed under enormous stress
during an accident. That’s why it is extremely important to have
your body shop and insurance adjuster check the following areas of
your seatbelts after an accident:
- Guides
- Retainers
- Buckles
- Retractors
In addition, if the seatbelt fabric
looks damaged or torn in any way, or if the plastic guides show
any damage, replace the seat belt immediately.
Taking precautions with your
seatbelts after an accident can go along way to save your life in
case of future incidents.
AIR BAGS
Airbags save lives. They work best when everyone is buckled and
children are properly restrained in the back seat. Children riding
in the front seat can be seriously injured or killed when an air
bag comes out in a crash. An air bag is not a soft, billowy
pillow. To do its important job, an air bag comes out of the
dashboard at up to 200 miles per hour – faster than the blink of
an eye. The force of an air bag can hurt those who are too close
to it. Drivers can prevent air bag-related injuries to adults and
children by following the critical safety points on the back.
Adult Safety Points
- Everyone should buckle up with both
lap and shoulder belts on every trip. Air bags are
supplemental protection devices .
- The lap belt should be worn under the
abdomen and low across the hips. The shoulder portion should come
over the collar bone away from the neck and cross over the breast
bone. The shoulder belt in most new cars can be adjusted on the
side pillar to improve fit.
- Driver and front passenger seats
should be moved as far back as practical, particularly for
shorter statured people.
Child Safety Points
- The back seat is generally the safest
place in a crash.
- If your vehicle has a passenger air bag,
it is essential for children 12 and under to ride in
back.
- Infants should ride in rear facing
restraints, preferably in the back seat, until about age 1 and
at least 20-22 lbs. Infants who weigh 20 lbs. before 1 year of
age should ride in a restraint approved for higher rear facing
weights. Always read your child restraint owner manual for
instructions on properly using the restraint.
- Children over age one and at least 20
pounds may ride facing forward.
- Put the belt through the right slot. If
your safety seat can be used facing either way, use the correct
belt slots for each direction.
- The safety belt must stay tight when securing the safety seat.
Check the vehicle owner's manual for tips on using the safety
belts.
- Keep
the straps over your child’s shoulder. The harness should be
adjusted so you can slip only one finger underneath the straps
at your child's chest. Place the chest clip at armpit level.
- Keep
your child in a safety seat with a full harness as long as
possible, at least until 40 pounds. Then use a
belt-positioning booster seat which helps the adult lap and
shoulder belt fit better.
- A
belt-positioning booster seat is preferred for children
between 40-80 pounds. It is used with the adult lap and
shoulder belt. Check on special products for heavy children
too active to sit still in a booster.
- The
child must be tall enough to sit without slouching, with knees
bent at the edge of the seat, with feet on the floor. The lap
belt must fit low and tight across the upper thighs. The
shoulder belt should rest over the shoulder and across the
chest. Never put the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the
child's back. The adult lap and shoulder belt system alone
will not fit most children until they are at least 4'9"
tall and weigh about 80 pounds.
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