Seat belts provide an important safety function in automobiles, but faulty seat belts may present a serious hazard to drivers and their passengers for a number of reasons.Seat belts are meant to act as restraints for individuals when they are in an automobile collision. By acting as a restraint, seat belts help prevent individuals from being ejected from a vehicle or crashing into the dashboard or other blunt objects.
When these restraints are defective, they may not restrain like they are supposed to, or they may provide excessive restraint. In either case, they may present serious dangers to those who are in the vehicle.
Defects may occur in any part of the restraint system. These parts are:
* The belt that lies over the rider's shoulder and lap
* The buckle that secures the rider to the automobile
* The locking mechanism that restrains the individual being braced
* The seat itself
Each of these parts must work in unison in order to properly brace an individual and limit the amount of force inflicted on him or her. Unfortunately, restraint systems do not always work like they are supposed to, which may subject individuals to:
* A lack of restraint
* Blunt force trauma
* Injuries from excessive restraint
* Entrapment in the vehicle
The last consequence may occur when the belt's buckle fails to unlatch after an accident. Entrapment in a vehicle may cause serious problems, especially if the vehicle's engine explodes or if its fuel tank catches fire.
In many cases, defective restraints are the liability of the automobile's manufacturer, though a third-party repair service may also be to blame.
Source: EzineArticles.com
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