g-e-113

SEAT BELTS
Seat belts are the single most
effective safety device in your
automobile. When worn correctly, a
seat belt can prevent serious injury
or death in a crash.
When properly worn, seat belts:
• keep you connected to the vehicle.
This allows you to take advantage
of the vehicle’s built-in safety
features.
• help protect you in almost any
type of crash, including frontal, side,
and rear impacts as well as rollovers.
• keep you from being thrown
around the inside of the vehicle and
against other occupants.
• prevent your ejection from the
vehicle.
• hold you in the best position in case
the airbags deploy.
EVERYDAY LIVING WORDS
A Car’s Safety Features
AIRBAGS
WEAR SAFETY BELTS
UNIT 1
Lesson 6
Airbags supplement the protection
that seat belts give to the torso and legs.
They provide a cushion to help restrain
and protect the head and chest.
Here are some important facts about
airbags:
• If you have a moderate to severe
frontal collision, the airbags will
instantly inflate.
• After inflating, airbags deflate
immediately. They won’t interfere
with the driver’s visibility.
• Most occupants of the vehicle will
not realize that the airbags
deployed until they see them lying
deflated on their laps.
• Airbags can be hazardous to
children. An inflating front airbag
can strike with enough force to
seriously injure—or even kill—a
small child.
To get maximum protection from seat belts and airbags, be sure to adjust
your front seats properly. Move both seats as far back as possible from the
steering wheel and dashboard. Whenever the car is moving, keep adjustable
seat-backs in an upright position. Reclining a seat-back too far can allow a
person to slide under a seat belt in a crash, resulting in serious injury.
21