You must have heard a lot of times that someone died in a car crash because he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. Seatbelts are life-savers, which is why wearing them is mandatory by law. When your vehicle collides, it rapidly decelerates. When the car stops with a sudden thrust, your body stays in motion and thus you fail to stop as your car does. People who wear seatbelts can stay intact on their seats reducing the risk of serious injury. However, if you drive without a belt, you can smash out of the windscreen and falling on the road in case of an accident. So, make sure that you keep your seatbelts up-to-date along with the rest of the car’s functions during cheap car servicing.
What Are 3 Point Seatbelts?
A three-point seatbelt is a Y-shaped seatbelt that is similar to lap and sash belts in design. Similar to the lap and sash seatbelt, a three-point seatbelt also helps in spreading out the energy of the moving body over the chest, pelvis, and shoulders in a collision. The earlier designs of 3 point seatbelts were only limited to the front seats until it was made a law for the back passengers to wear seatbelts as well.
History of 3 Point Seatbelts?
3 point seatbelts were first introduced in 1959 by Sweden’s Volvo. Volvo’s management team knew that this invention had the potential t save thousands of lives, which is why they publically introduced 3 points seatbelts that have been standard features in most of our trucks and other vehicles.
Britain introduced 3 point seatbelts for only the front seats in 1967/68 after a survey advocated the wearing of seat-belts in Britain to reduce the risk of accidents and injuries. Several parliamentarians were involved in the seatbelt change movement after which the law was changed in 1983. By 1991, all the adults in front or rear needed to wear seatbelts, and for children aged 14 and under to wear a seatbelt in the rear.
What is the Law About Wearing Seatbelts?
According to the traffic conditions of the country, you will simply die if you weren’t wearing a seatbelt during an accident. Everyone must wear their seatbelts properly whether they are on the front seats on rearseat passengers. Children under 14 are also required to be placed safely in a 3-point seatbelt in the rear seat. If you are caught driving without a seatbelt you can be fined up to £1000. If you are driving with a child under the age of 14 without a seatbelt, you will be fined £500.
Exemptions
The only exemptions for wearing a seatbelt is when:
- A driver is reversing or supervising a learner who is reversing
- You are in a vehicle for police, fire, and other rescue services
- You are in a trading vehicle investigating for a fault
- You are a licensed taxi driver who is plying for hire
- When your doctor has advised you not to wear a seatbelt because of medical reasons
