Modern technologies are developing rapidly. However, an automobile seat belt invented more than a hundred years ago has been a reliable means of protecting passengers and the driver of a car for decades.
This simple device saved millions of lives. According to statistics, 70% of the lives saved in car accidents are due to a seat belt. Proper use of this device reduces the chances of being injured in an accident.
Types of belts
During the existence of this simple device, many different designs have appeared. By features, seat belts are divided into five types:
- Two point.
- Three point.
- Four point.
- Five point.
- Six point.
Today, modern cars have three-point seat belts. Invented by Niels Bolin, they have been guarding our security faithfully for half a century.
Niels Bolin made this invention when he was developing an aircraft catapult security system. On his initiative, the first seat belts of this design were installed on Volvo cars back in 1959. The popularity of these belts is easily explained: due to the V-shaped arrangement during a collision, an optimal distribution of energy of the moving body to the chest, pelvis and shoulders is achieved.
A well-known modification of the three-point belt is the Bealt-In-Seat design. In this design, the shoulder portion of the latch is attached to the back of the car seat. Mersedes was the first to try and implement this technology into mass production 28 years ago.
It is believed that Belt-In-Seat technology avoids injuries when turning the car over.
Two-point seat belts were first commissioned back in 1949. However, they appeared much earlier - more than a hundred years ago. In those days, belts were devoid of any aesthetics, and they were replaced by an ordinary rope, which the drivers stretched across the belt.
In modern cars, two-point seat belts can only be found in the rear seats or in older models.
Four-point belts are used in sports cars. There is little comfort, but safety is very enhanced, which is a very important factor. Also a minus is that for such belts upper fasteners are required, which further reduces the comfort of using belts of this type.
Five-point and six-point seat belts are a set consisting of many straps. They practically do not differ from each other. They are used mainly in aviation and in child seats. The six-point harness has an extra seat belt that runs through the legs.
Device
The seat belt design is both simple and reliable:
- Straps.
- Castle.
- Mounting bolts.
- Retractor
The straps are most often made from synthetic materials. Thanks to this, the strength that everyone is used to is achieved. The retractor in the design is based on a ratchet mechanism. It serves to fully or partially retract the seat belt. Emergency locking of the device occurs using a special sensitive element.
An interesting fact is that the sensing element is based on an ordinary metal ball, which, when displaced, fixes the coil with a special system of levers. Sometimes a pendulum is used instead of a ball.
The seat belt lock is a device that snaps the tab of the tape holder. When you press the lock button, you can quickly unfasten the belt.
Of particular note is the belt tensioning system. This happens thanks to a special flywheel, which is mounted on the axis of the coil. It usually looks like a small disk. In the event of a jerk. The disk, according to the laws of physics, overcomes the force of friction. Parallel to this process, pressure is applied to the helical surface.
Bolts in the design of the front seat belts also play an important role. They provide reliable fastening of the entire structure. As a rule, they are attached directly to the car frame to ensure maximum reliability.
Terms of Use
To use seat belts effectively, it’s important to know a few simple rules:
- Do not tighten the belt too much, as this increases the risk of serious injury from an accident.
- Too low tension is also unacceptable, since in this case the braking effect of the seat belt is weakened. You can check the tension and make the correct settings in a simple way: you need to put your hand under the belt. If you feel tangible compression on the brush, then it is configured correctly.
- Make sure that the belt harness does not twist! Besides the fact that it will be inconvenient for you to drive, it can also lead to an insufficient level of fixation.
- Few people know, but after an accident, the fixing devices need to be completely replaced, since the tape loses its useful properties, including strength, under strong tension. Also, according to the operating rules, every 5-10 years it is necessary to carry out a complete replacement of seat belts due to natural wear and tear.
Sharing seat belts and airbags
In addition to the element we are considering, pillows play an important role in safety. However, the latter without belts have a practically useless effect. If during an accident the driver ignored fastening, then the pillows may simply not work. Also, pillows during deployment can cause serious harm to your health - in case of a collision, the blow will not be softened by fastened belts. This could result in serious injury. Therefore, the use of airbags is effective with fastened seat belts.
Statistics
The use of belts when traveling gives a fairly high degree of safety - almost 70% in world statistics. Airbags are significantly inferior to these indicators. According to the same statistics, the effectiveness of pillows is only 20%.
It is very important that all passengers, even those who are sitting behind, use seat belts. After all, no one is safe from accidents. Fastened belts will allow all passengers with an accident to remain in a fixed position, and not to randomly move around the cabin, causing harm not only to themselves, but to other passengers.
Despite the fact that the three-point design is the most common, engineers from leading automotive companies regularly provide innovative safety innovations.
Inflatable belt
Recently, a prototype of an inflatable belt was presented to the general public. Its principle of action is very simple. In the event of an accident, the belt chamber is filled with air, due to which the usable area is increased, and the risk of serious damage is minimized. The authors of this technology claim that this design is able to provide protection even with a side impact.
Volvo has also announced its work in this area - the criss-cross seat belt.
When the machine is turned over, the 3 + 2 technology announced by Autoliv will protect against significant injuries.
Conclusion
Remember that even the most advanced system can fail and is not able to guarantee absolute protection. At speeds of over 200 km / h, seat belts can be completely useless! Therefore, follow the rules of the road, be polite on the road. Never ignore standard security measures!
Which seat belts to choose, everyone decides. If you follow the simple rules that are described in this article, you can save life not only for yourself, but also for those who are with you in the car. And it doesn’t matter - you use seat belts in VAZ or Mersedes cars, sometimes your life depends only on observance of traffic rules.