Chapter IV - The safety of the drivers, the seat belt, the headrests and the airbag

The seat belt together with the headrests and the airbags are meant that in the event of a frontal, side, rear collision or a rollover, to ensure a fixed position between the seats of the driver and of the occupants so that the injuries produced, especially at the level of the head and the spine, to be avoided.

The seat belt

Wearing the seat belt is mandatory, but many avoid using it out of convenience or invoking reasons such as: “I am a good driver, nothing can happen to me...”.

Statistics show that following a serious accident the majority of the victims who did not have the seat belt did not survive or did not escape without traumas that mark their existence.

The most exposed to serious injuries are the occupants of the rear seat, they not being able to be protected by airbags because the majority of the motor vehicles do not have an airbag system also for the occupants of the rear seat.

There are however also situations when wearing the seat belt can be exempted:

• the persons who hold a medical certificate in which to be mentioned the condition that contraindicates wearing the seat belt;
• women who present a visible state of pregnancy;
• the examiner (during the carrying out of the practical tests of the exam);
• the driving instructor (when being on the right, with the student at the wheel);
• the taxi driver (as long as the client is in the car).

The headrests

The main role of the headrests is to prevent the sudden movements of the head in the event of the motor vehicle being hit from behind, thus preventing a possible fracture of the cervical spine.

The airbag (the air cushion)

The main purpose of an airbag is to reduce the effects of an impact, helping to reduce the inertia that the human body has when the car hits.

However the airbag does not protect the passenger from various bends of the bodywork but only helps at the attenuation of the shock that the body can have.