Seatbelt safety is top of mind - but you may not be realizing you're making these 3 errors. and they drastically impact your seat belt's ability to keep you safe in an accident. (Plus, they have easy fixes).
OF course- you’re going to buckle up (it reduces your risk of fatal injury by anywhere from 45-60%)– according to the NHTSA, but you can also make yourself safer by having an optimal posture, and using those seat belts as correctly as possible!
Don’t just buckle that seat belt for safety – tighten it.
As Dr. Alisa Baer, “The Car Seat Lady” shared with me, “Your seat belt will work best for you, the snugger it is to your body”. After buckling, take a second to pull up on the chest / shoulder part of the belt to eliminate any extra slack out of the lap belt.
Also confirm that the lap belt is against your hip and pelvis bones – NOT against the abdomen. That’s because your pelvis strong bones can take the impact of a crash; if the seat belt is against the abdomen, which is filled with soft, fluid-filled organs, then they cannot take the force of the crash, and result in internal injuries.
**while you’re at it, make sure that chest strap goes ABOVE your outside shoulder, and then BELOW your center arm.
Pregnant and wondering about “pregnancy seat belt extenders” go here for my post on these – and why to avoid them.
Remove your coat
In the car seat safety work that I do with parents and on social, we talk all the time about the importance of removing a child’s coat before you put them into the car seat, as that coat can lead to critically dangerous slack in the restraints. But did you know, that matters for you, too? Whether you’re 6 months or 60 years, a coat will impact your car restraint’s ability to function.
For adults, the coat typically causes the lap belt to be pushed up off of the pelvis and onto the abdominal organs, which I described above.
Best option? Remove your coat entirely. If it’s SUPER SUPER cold and you just can’t pre-heat the car, then unzip the coat, and pull it out of the way of the lap belt, so it doesn’t interfere.
Posture matters
When it comes to car safety, you may be as surprised as I was to find out that grandma really WAS right – we should not slouch!
Why it matters – the more upright you are, the better the restraint systems will work. The back of your vehicle’s seat is integral to its restraint, and when you recline the car seat too far, that creates a bigger space between your body, the head rest, and the chest belt.
Too much distance between your body and the head rest increases your risk of whiplash and spinal injuries, according to The Car Seat Lady. Too much distance between your body and the chest belt increases your chances of either sliding up and out of the seat belt, or down and under the belt.
To-do: Sit with your seat back as close to vertical as is possible. A little recline is ok, but not definitely to 25 degrees or more.
All my best,
- Dr. Darria
