Why Safety Belts Work

When riding in a vehicle, you travel as fast as the vehicle does. If the vehicle

When riding in a vehicle, you travel as fast as the vehicle does. If the vehicle stops suddenly, you keep going until something stops you. It could be the windshield, the instrument panel, or the safety belts!

When you wear a safety belt, you and the vehicle slow down together. There is more time to stop because you stop over a longer distance and, when worn properly, your strongest bones take the forces from the safety belts. That is why wearing safety belts makes such good sense.

    See also:

    Reclining Seatbacks
    WARNING You can lose control of the vehicle if you try to adjust a manual driver seat while the vehicle is moving. Adjust the driver seat only when the vehicle is not moving. WARNING If either se ...

    Parking Brake
    The parking brake pedal is located to the left of the regular brake pedal, near the driver door. To set the parking brake, hold the regular brake pedal down, then push the parking brake ped ...

    Key Lock Release
    Vehicles with an automatic transmission are equipped with an electronic key lock release system. The key lock release is designed to prevent ignition key removal unless the shift lever is in P ( ...