Ironically, the few people who wear seatbelts in India do so because they’ll get a challan if they don’t. This is what a recent survey by Maruti Suzuki threw up, along with many other shocking results. Like the fact that just 25% of car users (drivers and riders in the front and rear seats) use seat belts in India.
Why we need them
Last year, 5,638 people died in road accidents simply because they had not worn a seatbelt, says Ministry of Road Transport and Highways data. The World Health Organization declares the seatbelt as “the single most effective feature in a vehicle to reduce the severity of injury” and says that it can reduce “fatality among front seat passengers by 40-50% and among rear-seat passengers by 25-75%.” With airbags now compulsory in all cars, it makes it even more important for people to wear seatbelts. “Since airbags deploy very rapidly, serious injury that may sometimes be fatal may take place with an un-restrained occupant. Injuries to the abdomen and spleen and abrasions to the neck and face may happen,” says CV Raman, Head of Engineering, Maruti Suzuki. He tells us what we can do to protect ourselves.
Make a habit of wearing a seatbelt, so that you put it on even before switching on the ignition.
Position the belt in such a way that the lap part passes over the hip bone and not directly over the soft abdomen area. The shoulder belt should pass across the centre of the shoulder and run across the middle of your chest and away from your neck. Never put the shoulder belt behind your back or under an arm.
Have all the belts checked even after a minor accident.
Keep the buckles clean so they function smoothly and make sure the webbing isn’t fraying.
Avoid travelling by car if you’re in an advanced stage of pregnancy, but if you cannot avoid it, wear the seatbelt in such a way that it passes across your chest, but does not run over your belly. The lap belt must be positioned below the stomach, across the pelvic bone.
Put your infant into an infant seat and install it as per instructions in the manual. There are also child and booster seats once your child is older. You’ll know your child is ready for a regular seat belt if it fits like an adult’s, with the strap running in the middle of the shoulder, rather than close to the neck.
