Tips for Preventing Injuries Caused by Seat Belts

Although, seat belts can save many lives, they may also cause injury as well. This is especially true if you fail to secure the belt properly. The seat belt is designed in such a way to prevent a person from flying forward during a collision. To do this, the restraint cannot give much when a strong forward force is applied. While your whole body won’t hit a hard surface during a crash, a part of your body will exert a violent force on the belt.

The many variables that play a role in whether or not a person suffers from an injury caused by a seat belt during a crash, including:

• Speed at the time of the crash
• Tightness/Looseness of belt
• Seat belt malfunction
• Improper belt placement on body
• Manufacturer defect

Types of Injuries

Due to the fact that the seat belt is located near the upper half of the body, most injuries will occur to the upper body area. Some common types of injuries are:

• Bruises and scrapes in the chest region
• Broken or bruised sternum
• Cracked rib
• Internal organ injuries
• Whiplash
• Spinal cord injuries

The speed and severity of your crash can play a huge role in whether your seatbelt causes an injury, so not all seat belt injuries are preventable. Also, if your seat belt caused an injury, odds are you would have suffered a much more severe injury has you been unbuckled.

To help ensure that you prevent or even minimize the effects of a seat belt injury you can ensure you secure the belt properly says Kanner & Pintaluga Reviews . This means the lap belt is secured firmly across your hips and below your stomach, and the shoulder belt is secured firmly across the middle of your chest and not near you neck. The belt shouldn’t be uncomfortably tight, but it also shouldn’t give you much wiggle room, otherwise it will do no good in the event of an accident. Lastly, do not place the shoulder belt behind your back or under your arm for any reason.

Originally posted at http://kpattorney.com/tips-for-preventing-injuries-caused-by-seat-belts/