Now, it’s obvious that seatbelts save lives. But I have also heard of times when the seatbelt takes the life of the driver or passengers. Is it true that seatbelts can actually be dangerous instead of actually helping? And what are the chances of this occuring?
I know that on those automatic seat belts (where you close the door and the shoulder strap moves into position) they can make you forget to hook up the lap belt. Then, when you’re in an accident, you may slide underneath the shoulder belt and it catches your neck and bad things can happen.
Also, some cars’ belts are attached to the door. In some accidents, though, the door is broken open, and you may be ejected from the car. I don’t remember the numbers, but you are statistically more likely to be killed if you are ejected from the car.
Some cars come equipped with an explosive charge attached to their belts. When a collision occurs, the charge goes off and pulls the belt closer to the seat. If this has been already spent in a previous collision, the belt may not function properly. In theory, it should just act as a normal belt, but you should still make sure to get the thing changed after a collision.
Well, if you’re in an accident, not wearing your seat belt, and you get thrown clear from the car, and then further “bad things” happen to the car, then you were better off not wearing it. So it’s possible. Doesn’t mean it’s good odds though.
But generally it’s better for “bad things” to happen to a 3000 pound piece of metal than directly to you, which is usually the case if thrown out. I suppose sometimes it may be best to be thrown out, though.