Choices! What will it be? #47

In Nigeria, seatbelt is not given much relevance. Most people use seatbelt because road safety are on the road. In a public transport, the driver will likely always use a seatbelt but the passengers especially those at the rear rarely consider wearing a seatbelt.

It is sad that we neglect this basic things that could save our lives in the case of an accident.

Join me as I delve into the brief history of seatbelt.

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The seat belt is an ancient invention. The first type was created by an English engineering, George Cayley. He want a device that would keep him from falling out of his glider.
On Feb. 10, 1885, Edward J. Claghorn was awarded the first patent for a seat belt. Today, you would be more likely right to call his invention a safety harness. It was primarily designed to hold the user to a larger object while leaving the hands and legs to be free.

In 1959, an engineer at Volvo, Nils Bohlin, created the familiar three-point seat belt that now greets you when you open your car door.
Because of their concern for safety and value of human lives, Volvo gave the invention to its rivals, gratis, to encourage other manufacturers to install seat belts in their own cars. It refused to sell the design because of the reason above.

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It is a solid fact that since the 1950s, seatbelts save lives. Volvo was able to prove this by using dummies in a crash test. This demonstration led the company's engineers to prove that using a seatbelt reduced car crash mortality (death) by 50%. Even years after with multiple studies carried out by other professionals, that one statistics holds true.
Source

The answer is no, in the United States legislation had to be passed to make seatbelt compulsory to wear. Citizens believed that it was a choice for them to wear it or not.
Others complained it was not comfortable for them to use one.
While a faction claimed they didn't trust the technology behind it.

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In Nigeria, it is a law to use your seatbelt always. Defaulters are often punished by a special arm of the police called the Federal road safety corps. It however sad that people still neglect wearing their seatbelt. In 2016 my mom lost her friend to a car accident, it was later gathered that the woman died because when the car ran into another car; she flew out of her seat and hit her head on the windscreen. Her husband who was driving had his seatbelt on and did not sustain any major injuries. Had it been the wife had worn hers, she would be alive today.

Did you know that the seatbelt you use when you enter a vehicle is called the three-point seatbelt? It includes a lap belt and a shoulder belt. The lap belt secures the pelvis and lower torso, while the shoulder belt crosses the chest diagonally to restrain the upper body.

It is usually made of durable materials such as nylon or polyester webbing, designed to withstand significant force. It consists of a lap belt and a shoulder belt, which are connected to a retractor mechanism mounted either on the vehicle's frame or within the seat itself.

What happens if the car comes to a sudden stop or hits an object is that the force pushes the passenger forward, now the restraint mechanism in the seatbelt is made to hold the belt tightly in the case of a sudden movement. This hold prevents the passenger from hitting themselves against objects.
You can practice this by checking any car with a seat belt, hold the belt n suddenly jerk it, you notice it will stop tight. That's how it works.

It is worthy to note that seatbelts are not only made for cars, there are also made for aircraft and boats. In fact it is used for anything where the user maybe suddenly plunged forward and be harmed. This is why it is also used in rollercoaster and many other gadgets.

I advise that when next you enter a vehicle you should remember to use a seatbelt.

Thank you for reading my article. I invite @uduak01, @comfortpeter and @mesola to participate in this contest.