Why Safety Belts Work

When you ride in or on anything, you go as fast as it goes.

Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a

Take the simplest vehicle. Suppose it is just a seat on wheels.

Put someone on it.

Put someone on it.

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle.

Get it up to speed. Then stop the vehicle.

The rider does not stop.

The person keeps going until stopped by

The person keeps going until stopped by something. In a real vehicle, it could be the windshield...

or the instrument panel...

or the instrument panel...

or the safety belts!

or the safety belts! With safety belts, you slow down as the vehicle does. You get more time to stop. You stop over more distance, and your strongest bones take the forces. That is why safety belts make such good sense.

    See also:

    Control of a Vehicle
    The following three systems help to control the vehicle while driving—brakes, steering, and accelerator. At times, as when driving on snow or ice, it is easy to ask more of those control syste ...

    Infants and Young Children
    Everyone in a vehicle needs protection! This includes infants and all other children. Neither the distance traveled nor the age and size of the traveler changes the need, for everyone, to use sa ...

    Compass
    The vehicle may have a compass display in the Driver Information Center (DIC). See Compass for more information. ...