How Do I Repair Seat Belt Retractor On 1993 Gm Truck

Seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by nigh half, co-ordinate to the National Highway Traffic Prophylactic Assistants. The simple act of wearing a seat belt is the single most effective way to reduce the risk of fatality in a crash. So why exercise millions of people not buckle up on every trip? Permit'south debunk five common myths about wearing seat belts that are outdated or just apparently incorrect.

5 Mutual Misconceptions Near Seatbelts

#1: Seat belts are uncomfortable and restrict my movement.

Wearing a seat chugalug should non cause any discomfort or pressure when adjusted properly. Seat belts have come a long fashion in the comfort section since condign a mandatory feature in cars in the 1960s. Technological advancements like polyester webbing and pretensioners, which eliminate slack in the outcome of a crash, have fabricated seat belts more comfortable for the wearer. If you want to customize your fit, you can observe clips and extenders at your local dealer or auto parts store.

With children, the shoulder belt should fit beyond the shoulder and chest, and the vehicle lap belt should fit across the upper thighs. (Children are typically between the ages of 8 and 12 years old when they are ready for a seat chugalug. A good examination is if their knees bend at the border of the seat when backs and bottoms are pressed against the vehicle seat dorsum.)

Pregnant women should wear both the lap belt and the shoulder strap, ensuring a snug fit. Lap belts should exist buckled nether the belly and over hips. Never place the lap belt beyond your belly. The shoulder strap should become between the breasts and off to the side of the abdomen. Never place the shoulder strap nether the arm.

#two: Seat belts trap you in your vehicle during a crash.

This myth is often associated with burn- and water-related accidents, which account for less than ane-half of one percentage of all crashes. More than importantly, seat belts can actually prevent yous from being knocked unconscious, which tin can increase your chances of escaping during an accident.

#3: I'm but going up the block for groceries. I don't demand to wear a seat belt around town.

Remember again. Routine, seemingly low-fundamental trips can be deceptively unsafe. Did yous know that most traffic-related deaths happen within 25 miles from your house and at speeds less than 40 mph, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration? Don't accept whatever chances. Your life and the lives of your passengers are at stake.

#4: I don't have time to put on my seat chugalug.

It only takes most three seconds to strap on your seat chugalug. That's less fourth dimension than information technology takes to tie your shoe. Even if you're buckling up twenty times a day, that's just one minute of your day.

#5: My car has air bags, so I don't need to wear a seat belt.

Air bags are designed to protect a buckled rider, non an unbuckled one. Seat belts secure you in the proper position to benefit from an air bag deployment. If yous're non wearing your seat belt, yous're in danger of sliding underneath the air bag, colliding with the dashboard or windshield, or being ejected from the front end seat. Air bags are a supplemental form of protection and near are designed to deploy in moderate-to-severe frontal crashes, which doesn't cover all situations. Using air bags in conjunction with seat belts is your best bet.

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The History Of Seatbelts

Illustration of family buckling seatbelts Forget statistics, campaigns or pleas from car manufacturers. As the history of the seatbelt shows, the nigh effective fashion to get drivers and passengers to buckle up is to hit them where it hurts: in their wallets.

Although lap belts were offered in cars every bit early as the 1950s, they were snubbed by many until 1984, when New York became the beginning country to crack downwardly on auto prophylactic. "The matter that started to become people to buckle up in large numbers was merely having country laws with a minimal fine of $25 or $50 for non buckling up," says Mike Ciccone, senior director of crashworthiness evaluations at Insurance Constitute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The importance of using seatbelts is no joke. No other quick daily habit—not fifty-fifty eating your veggies—has such life-changing benefits. "Lap and shoulder belts are about
l pct effective in preventing fatal injuries to front‐seat occupants in crashes of all kinds," says Ciccone. The numbers are staggering: Safe belts saved 12,802 lives in 2022, co-ordinate to the National Highway Traffic Condom Administration (NHTSA). Compare that with the early 1980s, when merely roughly 11 per centum of front-seat passengers wore belts. So when did people buckle down on buckling up? Hither, a await dorsum at the invention, applied science and laws behind seatbelts.

1885: The U.S. Patent Function issues the first seatbelt patent.

1949-50: Nash Motors Company offers lap belts in certain auto models.

1959: Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin invents the first three-point safety belt in Sweden by combining the lap belt and shoulder strap into 1 continuous belt that could be buckled with one hand. The invention'south open patent allows other manufacturers to adopt the game-changing pattern.

1968: The first federal law regarding seatbelts—called the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards—is passed, requiring all new cars sold in the U.Due south. to feature lap or shoulder belts in the front seats and lap belts in the back seats.

1984: New York passes the first "primary enforcement constabulary," in which a police officer can pull over and ticket a driver just for not wearing a seatbelt. Thirty-four states now have primary enforcement laws, while 15 states have secondary laws, which ways drivers pulled over for another reason can receive a ticket for non wearing a seatbelt. The fear of getting ticketed led to a quick jump in seatbelt usage for those states, which meant fewer deaths and injuries. People pay more than attention to primary laws, and buckle up more. According to IIHS, if all states with secondary laws had master laws instead, their passenger deaths would subtract by vii percent.

1993: North Carolina's "Click It or Ticket" entrada, which involved Idiot box ads and billboards highlighting the cost of getting pulled over, dramatically increases seatbelt use from
65 pct to 81 percent. A decade afterwards, the "Click It or Ticket" campaign goes national.

2015: States with principal enforcement laws report seatbelt usage at 91 percent, and states with secondary enforcement laws (or no police at all) written report seatbelt usage at 79 percent.

Living in such a rapidly irresolute world, it's easy to accept innovations for granted, but remember that seatbelts were designed with 1 goal in mind: to protect you. Don't forget to buckle upwards on your next ride—and that goes for everyone, especially kids and even pets.

You e'er buckle up … right? Practiced. GEICO offers discounts to adept drivers. See how much you could save.

Next commodity: five Common Driving Myths Debunked

By Stephanie Levis and Kara Cutruzzula