BAGS AND BELTS
WRECK-LESS DRIVING©
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist
BAGS AND BELTS
BETTENDORF, IA: Harlowe tells us that he was driving at 5 miles over the posted maximum on I-74 when he swerved to the right to miss a wandering dog. Then he lost control and hit a roadside sign on the far edge of the shoulder. This sturdy obstruction stopped his luxury auto abruptly, throwing his body forward with great force. Had Harlowe not been wearing the lap and shoulder belts to augment the steering wheel air bag he might not be alive today.
Many otherwise safety-conscious drivers and passengers believe that an air bag is sufficient protection in a frontal crash. Not so! The lap belt keeps the body from sliding downward under the dash where the legs and knees get mangled. A shoulder belt is designed to restrict quick forward movement of the upper body to protect it from head and chest collision with, among other hard objects, the very forceful air bag. To be sure, in a severe crash the belts and bag can cause some injuries themselves. But these are far more acceptable than the injuries inflicted without them. Harlowe is a believer, now.
Another reason to use both belts is that they do offer some protection in side crashes where the front air bag is ineffective. The latest auto models have side air bags but, as before, they must be augmented with the provided belts. Is it freedom loving or stubbornness or stupidity that leads some of us to think we are smarter than the auto safety experts who designed these protective restraints? If everyone would buckle-up I would not have to write so often in this column about this morbid subject.
GHD169 all rights reserved
by Gunther Doerfert, Auto Safety Columnist
BAGS AND BELTS
BETTENDORF, IA: Harlowe tells us that he was driving at 5 miles over the posted maximum on I-74 when he swerved to the right to miss a wandering dog. Then he lost control and hit a roadside sign on the far edge of the shoulder. This sturdy obstruction stopped his luxury auto abruptly, throwing his body forward with great force. Had Harlowe not been wearing the lap and shoulder belts to augment the steering wheel air bag he might not be alive today.
Many otherwise safety-conscious drivers and passengers believe that an air bag is sufficient protection in a frontal crash. Not so! The lap belt keeps the body from sliding downward under the dash where the legs and knees get mangled. A shoulder belt is designed to restrict quick forward movement of the upper body to protect it from head and chest collision with, among other hard objects, the very forceful air bag. To be sure, in a severe crash the belts and bag can cause some injuries themselves. But these are far more acceptable than the injuries inflicted without them. Harlowe is a believer, now.
Another reason to use both belts is that they do offer some protection in side crashes where the front air bag is ineffective. The latest auto models have side air bags but, as before, they must be augmented with the provided belts. Is it freedom loving or stubbornness or stupidity that leads some of us to think we are smarter than the auto safety experts who designed these protective restraints? If everyone would buckle-up I would not have to write so often in this column about this morbid subject.
GHD169 all rights reserved
posted by WRECK-LESS at Saturday, June 02, 2007
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