A report published by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in 2022 highlights that 16,715 people lost their lives in road accidents because they were not wearing seatbelts. Moreover, 50.2% of them were the ones driving the car. These grim statistics point towards the urgency of taking wearing seatbelts seriously. Seat belts reduce fatalities during crashes. Thus, wearing it ensures that you can escape injuries and even death in case of any unfortunate incident. Now that you know the importance of seatbelts, let us understand how does seatbelts work.
How Does The Seatbelt Work In A Car?
Here is the mechanism of how seatbelts work.
In a three-point seat belt usually seen in cars, one end of the webbing or the strap is fixed. A buckle clip is attached to the webbing. The retractor releases a sufficient length of webbing depending on the passenger's size.
The seatbelt consists of a spool with a spring attached inside it that applies torque. One end of the webbing is also connected to the spool. As the webbing is pulled out, the spring tenses and the spool rotates. The retractor is the component that includes the locking mechanism, which stops the webbing from unwinding during a sudden jerk. The webbing also gets locked if it moves too fast. Thus, the seatbelt arrests your motion during the accident and spreads the entire stopping force evenly throughout the body.
Conclusion
Not wearing a seat belt attracts a fine of Rs 1,000 in India, as per the Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Act, 2019. The next time you are in a car, do not forget to buckle up. Also, subscribe to a car insurance policy for financial protection in case your vehicle meets an accident.
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