SAFETY technology in cars can make the difference between life and death.
Usually, drivers and passengers need to use this technology in certain ways in order for it to work properly.
If you do not do something as simple as sitting correctly, or wearing a seat belt correctly, it can cause damage to the occupant.
Motorists who use seat belts and sit properly reduce mortality rates in crashes by up to 67%.
“This proves the importance of using these safety features correctly. Many people, knowingly and unknowingly, sit in vehicles in ways that not only prevent the safety technology from working like it should but causes additional injuries,” said managing director of MasterDrive, Eugene Herbert.
AVOID SITTING LIKE THIS IN CARS:
Feet on the dash: Airbags deploy at up to 350km/h.
If one deploys while your feet are on the dash, instead of protecting you it can break bones in your legs, hips and/or back and even result in death.
With a child or pet on your lap: You will rob the child of the safety of wearing a seat belt and propel the child or animal out the front window at the speed that the vehicle was travelling at.
If the airbag deploys, it will slam into the child or animal at up to 350km/h while they continue their forward trajectory.
Sitting in the rear unrestrained: In a crash, unrestrained people, animals and unsecured objects will slam into the front seats at the speed that the vehicle was moving.
While this could result in only injuries to unrestrained passengers in the back, it could kill front passengers as they are squeezed between the force from the back and the seat belt in the front.
The passenger in the rear can slam into the front seat at the weight of an elephant in a car that is travelling at 60km/h.
Not wearing a seat belt correctly: A seat belt should be worn with the bottom part across your hip bones and the section that crosses your body should rest on your collarbone.
Think carefully about your safety before you slide into your favourite position next time you get in the car.
