Survival Kit

As an adult passenger your survival in a car accident depends mainly on how you absorb the impact of the collision. Most serious injuries occur when people slam into the Wide of their cars. In a 50km/h (30 MPH) crash a 150 pounds person will strike the inside of a car with a force of 3000 pounds.

The key to survival is to spread out the force of the impact and direct it over the strongest areas of your body. This can be done by wearing properly adjusted lap and shoulder belts.

The belts prevent you from striking the inside of your car and they spread the force over the largest and strongest bones in your body. Seat belts allow you to strike a soft part of the car (the seat belts) with the strongest ports of your body. In this way the impact is softened and the possibility of serious injury is greatly reduced.

This 'spreading of force' across the body is similar to the way in which a snowshoe distributes your body weight on snow. A snowshoe spreads your weight over a large am of snow and allows you to walk on the soft, fragile surface. A seat belt spreads force over a large body area, softening the impact and reducing the possibility of injury.

Seat belts keep you in your seat, during a collision or rollover and prevent you from being thrown from your car. If you are the driver, you remain seated and in control, able to avoid a possible, second collision. If you are a passenger you avoid striking the inside, of the car, or other passengers.
If your vehicle catches fire or enters a body of water it is usually the result of a collision. If you are badly injured or knocked unconscious you cannot escape from the vehicle. Seat belts prevent injury and can be easily released for a quick escape. To escape from a burning or sinking vehicle you must be thinking quickly and clearly. You must avoid injury!
Properly worn, the lap belt. Should be snug and low on the hips and the shoulder strap should be worn comfortably over your shoulder.

(1) Their developing bodies are more fragile, and
(2) They often stand on the seat or sit in an adults' lap, which increase the danger of injury or death in a collision.

In order to survive a crash, children, just like adults need the impact forces weed over the strongest parts of their bodies. Adult seat belts cannot offer this protection to the fragile and undersized body of a young child. Only a properly designed seat for children will afford this protection.

Babies weighing less than twenty pounds (nine kg) and unable to sit upright by themselves are best protected by a child restraint designed for infants. These seats face the rear of the car and carry the child in a reclining position. The seat is anchored to the car with an adult lap belt. With some newer cars a special clip is required to adapt the seat belt so that it provides positive anchorage for this type of child restraint. Consult the owner's manual and acquire the correct clip from your dealer. Follow installation instructions exactly. Some
Seats are adaptable to the age of the child, converting to a front facing child restraint when the child reaches twenty pounds.

Children weighing between twenty and forty pounds (nine and eighteen kg) should ride protected by either of two basic types of child restraint. Both face the child forward in the vehicle and both are anchored to the vehicle by the adult lap belt.

The most common type of restraint uses a five point safety harness to spread the forces of impact and keep the child safely in the seat. A top anchor strap, which prevents the top of the restraint from rotating forward on impact, is an important feature of this seat. It must be fastened securely to the interior of the car exactly as described in the manufacturer's instructions.

The other type of child restraint uses a protective shield as part of the seat. This type of seat anchors to the vehicle with the adult lap belt only and for this reason is adaptable to a wide variety of vehicles.

Children weighing over forty pounds (eighteen kg) can use adult lap belts when they outgrow their child restraints. Special care must be taken to position the child with the lap belt fitting snug and low on the hips.

Medical experts agree that pregnant women should wear seat belts~ Special care should be taken to wear the lap belt snugly and in a low position over the pelvis.

The best way to protect an unborn child is to protect the mother.