What Seatbelt Designs are Available in Today’s Cars?

Your seatbelt is designed to hold you in place in the event of a motor vehicle accident. However, did you know that know that not all seatbelts are created equally? Seatbelts save 13,000 lives in the United States every year, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. Choosing best seatbelt design possible is important to staying safe on the road. Remember, however, that even the best seatbelt design can be affected by seatbelt failure or seatbelt recalls.

If you or someone you know had been injured in a car crash, even though you were wearing your seatbelt, talk to a lawyer right away.

Originally, seatbelts were an adjustable strap across the lap. Unsurprisingly called the lap seatbelt, this seatbelt design was highly ineffective for holding someone back in anything more than a fender bender. In fact, lap belt injuries are responsible for a number of deaths every year. However, in many cars, you’ll find that only a lap belt in the rear center seat. As the lap belt seatbelt design is ineffective, new laws are requiring better options for passengers, replacing the lap belt with three-point or harness options.

In most cars, you’ll find the three-point seatbelt design. This is a combination of a lap belt design and a sash seatbelt design, which holds you in across your stomach and diagonally across your chest. Neatly all cars come with this seatbelt design, and since the fall of 2007, all new cars are required by federal law to have both a lap belt and sash belt for all passengers, even those in the backseat. The three-point seatbelt is currently the safest option for consumer vehicles, barring seatbelt failure. However, keep in mind that seatbelts are still commonly recalled due to latch and ripping problems. If this has happened to you, talk to a lawyer today to learn about your legal rights.

Criss-cross seatbelts are a new and experimental seatbelt design that is being tested for safety. Like its name implies, a criss-cross seatbelt form an “x” across your chest in a brace kind of design. Currently, the criss-cross design is only found in the Volvo Safety Concept Car, but if future tests are successful, this seatbelt design option may become available in consumer cars to help prevent seatbelt failure.

Lastly, there are five-point harnesses available in some instances. Namely, this harness seatbelt design is found in child car seats and racing cars. Harnesses are great seatbelt design options for children, as they are easier for containing small bodies, even when the seatbelt in the car is three-point and designed for adults.

With any seatbelt design, your focus should be safety. In most cases, your best choice is the three-point seatbelt, but as cars continue to evolve, newer and even safer seatbelt designs will continue to hit the market. Remember, if you have experienced seatbelt failure, it is important to talk to a lawyer today. Seatbelt design should keep you safe, not cause a false sense of security. Fill out this form to learn more about your rights.

Please fill out the form below to see if you have a Seatbelt Failure case.

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