🔒 Seat Belt - The Lifesaver in the Car

The seat belt is the most important safety feature in the car. It reduces the risk of serious injury by up to 50%.

Seat belt law:

• Everyone in the car must use a belt (driver responsible for passengers under 15)
• Applies in front and back seats
• Exception: certain medical reasons (requires medical certificate)

How the belt protects you:

• Prevents you from being thrown forward in a collision
• Distributes force over stronger body parts (pelvis, chest)
• Keeps you in correct position for airbag to work
• Protects against being thrown out of the car

Correct use:

• Belt should sit tight against the body
• Shoulder belt should go over the shoulder and diagonally down over the chest
• Lap belt should sit low over hip bones, not over stomach
• No twists in the belt

Children in cars:

• Children under 135 cm must use special protection device
• Rear-facing car seat recommended as long as possible
• Never forward-facing child seat in front seat with active airbag

Statistics:

• Belt saves about 150 lives per year in Sweden
• Risk of death in accident without belt: 3-4 times higher
• Even at low speeds, a collision can be fatal without belt