Safety Belt Tips and Tricks 

Seatbelts are simple components of a vehicle, but they play a big role in ensuring your safety when driving. Safety belts were introduced in the automotive industry in the 1950s, but they only became a legal requirement almost a decade later. About 15,000 lives were saved in 2017 in the U.S. alone during road accidents by simply wearing a seatbelt. This just proves how important it is to buckle up before you hit the road.

So for this post, we will teach the right way of wearing the seatbelt together with some tips and tricks to keep you safe while driving.

Don’t turn the ignition on until you’re buckled up

This is important at all times, even if you’re just going to the grocery store. Buckle up before you even turn the ignition. Over time, you can make this a habit that will increase your safety while driving. Ask your passengers to do the same.

Wear it right

Seatbelts should be worn properly, so they will work as expected. Remember that improper wearing can do more harm than good. Besides, it’s very easy to put a seatbelt on: the shoulder belt should be on your collar bone and there shouldn’t be any slack in it. The lap belt should be tucked snugly on your hips and not your belly.

Keep your posture in check

It’s important to keep a good posture while wearing the seatbelt. This is to prevent injuries when an accident does happen and you’re pulled forward, backward or sideways by force. Also, it will prevent any aches associated with sitting for too long with strained muscles.

Don’t let kids sit in the passenger seat even with the belt on

Never let a small kid sit in the passenger seat even with the belt on. A child should be at least 13 to call shotgun. Otherwise, they should still be using a booster seat or sit in the rear. This is a matter of safety since the seatbelt may not be snug enough to hold the body of a child during impact.

For pregnant women, wear the belt against your hips

For pregnant women, make sure that the lap belt is buckled on the hips and not over any part of the belly. This is to prevent injuries during impact or abrupt stops. Also, never ever place a seatbelt across your tummy when you’re pregnant as this will put pressure on your belly.

Instill good habits to kids

You should start kids young when it comes to wearing seatbelts. Once they are too big for a booster seat, teach your kids the value of wearing a seatbelt. This way, your children will automatically buckle up whenever they hop into the car.

Avoid using your phone

Wearing a seatbelt doesn’t give you a free pass to drive distracted. Even though you may not get hurt if you get into a collision, someone else could be. So focus on the road and put your phone on hands-free mode if you want to receive an important call.