It only takes a moment to put on a seatbelt. Although one may be an experienced and alert driver, confident that nothing will happen, the seatbelt should always be used. No matter how short or slow the drive, not using it could be a dangerous situation.
The three-point seatbelt as we know it was pioneered by Volvo. Instead of monetising it, Volvo gave away the know-how to anyone who wanted to use it. Initially, it was only installed on the front-seats. Today, we have a seat belt for everyone on board a car. For good reason. There is no specific speed at which a driver will die in a car crash without a seatbelt because the outcome depends on many factors. Severity of the impact and the driver's position in the car are just some of these aspects. However, if a driver is not wearing a seatbelt, they will continue to move at the speed of the car before the crash when the car stops suddenly. This can cause the driver to hit the steering wheel or windshield.
One may say that modern cars now have airbags all around. However, the purpose of the airbag is not to stop a human body in case of sudden deceleration as experienced in a crash. When hitting an obstacle, passengers in the front seat will be thrown forward, held back by the seatbelt. Although the seat belt would restrain passengers, they may still hit the steering wheel or the dashboard. The airbag, deploying withing milliseconds, is to prevent injuries from hitting the dashboard or steering wheel and should in no case be seen to be a replacement for the seat belt.
A twisted seat belt looses about 50 % efficiency in restraining people in their seats in case of rapid deceleration. It is important to always wear the seat belt properly. Some people may not be comfortable to wear the belt across their body and may fling it back, only having the seat belt across their hips. This again reduces the efficiency drastically with more force on the upper body flinging it forward when crashing. Modern seatbelts are the most important safety feature in cars, having reduced fatalities by millions.
Passengers in the rear should also always wear a seatbelt. In case of a crash, they will otherwise be propelled forwards, crushing the passengers in front of them.
Should you have had an accident, German Motors recommends changing the seatbelt. In the case of a harsh deceleration, the fabric of the seat belt will be stretched, because of the weight of the passenger being flung against it. Tears in the fabric may result and thus, the seat belt could even tear in the next accident.
