9 juli 2008
If you wear a seatbelt, the risk of being injured in an accident is 40 percent lower than if you do not wear a seatbelt. When combined with an airbag, the chances of not being injured in an accident are 50 percent. If a seatbelt has proven its worth in an accident, it should be replaced by a new one.
Since 1992 it is obligatory to wear seatbelts on the front seats as well as on the backseats, for both adults and children. The police pointedly checks for people not wearing their seatbelt, because a seatbelt can be a lifesaver in case of an accident. The risk of having a deadly accident when not wearing a seatbelt is 50 percent higher than without a seatbelt.
Seatbelts must be used in cars, micro cars (like for instance an aixam), on a quad and on the BMW C1. Each passenger is responsible for wearing his or her seatbelt, which means that they can be fined individually if they do not wear the seatbelt. Only for children under the age of 12, the responsibility lies with the driver. Everybody has to wear a seatbelt, this includes delivery-drivers and couriers. Bus drivers and taxi drivers are the only ones excluded from the obligation to wear a seatbelt, when they have passengers on board.
Children and seatbelts
Children must wear a seatbelt at all times, on the front seat as well as on the backseat.
Children younger than 12 or under 1,50 meters of height must use an approved child seat when using the front seat. If such a seat is not present, the child will have to use the backseat. Children smaller than 1,50 meters in height may use the 3-point seatbelt as a 2-point seatbelt by wearing it behind their back and over the hips.
Never let a child sit on your lap while you are in a moving car. This is a life hazard, even if both the adult and the child wear the same seatbelt. If the child is wearing the same seatbelt as the adult, the child will be crushed by the weight of the adult in case of a collision. If the child is not wearing any seatbelt, this is even more perilous. In case of an emergency stop not even the strongest man will be able to hold on to the child. It is also very dangerous to place a baby in a child carrier seat on the front seat, when the airbag is activated. In some cars the passenger airbag can be deactivated for this purpose. If this is not the case, the airbag may suffocate the infant in case of an accident. Transporting children in the trunk of the car, for instance when the entire soccer team has to go to an away match and there are not enough seats available, is also very dangerous. There are no seatbelts and the children are in the crumple zone of the car, which is extremely dangerous.
The Stichting Consument en Veiligheid has some publications about transporting children in a safe manner. This includes the brochure Autostoeltjes (Child seats) and the fact sheet Kinderzitjes in autos (Child seats in cars). You can download or order this brochure or fact sheet on their website.