In
Florida, seat belts are required by law to be worn by all drivers and passengers
in the front seat of a motor vehicle and by all person under 18 regardless of
seating location in the motor vehicle1. PROGRAM READING
MODULE 6
| Required amount of time to complete: 30 minutes |
MAN, MACHINE AND ENVIRONMENT
MODULE 6: SAFETY
EQUIPMENT
SUBJECT 1: Safety Belts
In
Florida, seat belts are required by law to be worn by all drivers and passengers
in the front seat of a motor vehicle and by all person under 18 regardless of
seating location in the motor vehicle1.
The fine for being convicted of not wearing your safety belt is $30 for each violation plus court costs of up to $33 for each separate offense. If a passenger is under 18 and not properly restrained, the driver will receive the citation and pay the fine and court costs2.
For those drivers who say they do not want to wear their seat belt because they are concerned about immersion in water or a vehicle fire as a result of the collision, this belief is foolish. Fire or immersion in water happens in less than 1% of the vehicle collisions that happen annually either in Florida or in the United States as a whole.
Why should I wear my safety belt?
The figures are familiar: 41,000+ people die each year in car crashes, the leading cause of death for people age of 4 through 33. Safety belts can prevent death in about half of these crashes. If you know this and are still not wearing a safety belt, you may need to ask yourself why not3?
What is the proper way to wear a seat belt?
A properly worn seat belt means having both straps snugly fitted to transfer the impact of the collision to the parts of your body that can take it ...your hip bones and shoulder bones. The belt is fastened snugly across your hips. The belt across your chest should have about one fist width of slack. If you have automatic seat belts, be sure to fasten your lap belt. Without the lap belt, your body will simply pivot around the shoulder restraints and continue forward. If your shoulder restraints keep hitting you in the ear or on the neck, consult your owner's manual on how to adjust the height of the safety belt. If the car does not have adjustable safety belts, go to an auto parts store or write your vehicle's manufacturer and ask for a clip to adjust the height of the safety belt.
What are some excuses why "I don't wear a seat belt"?
"I'm only going to the shopping center." Actually this is the best time to wear a safety belt, since 80% of traffic fatalities occur within 25 miles of home and at under 40 miles an hour.
"I won't be in an collision: I'm a good driver." Your good driving record will certainly help you avoid collisions, but even if you're a good driver, a bad driver may still hit you.
"I'll brace myself." Even if you had the split-second timing to do this, the force of the impact would shatter the arm or leg you use to brace yourself4.
Do you wear your seat belts?
Imagine running as fast as you can into a wall. You'd expect to get pretty banged up. Do you think you could stop yourself if the wall suddenly popped up when you were two feet away from it? This is exactly the situation you face when the front of your car hits something at only 15 miles per hour.
RESOURCES:
Florida Statutes, sections 316.614, 318.18 number 1,
2.
NHTSA, Traffic Safety Overview, 2000, Washington, D.C., number
3.
Governor's Office of Highway Safety, Speed and Speed Limits, Atlanta,
Georgia, October 1998, number 4.
MAN, MACHINE AND ENVIRONMENT
MODULE 6: SAFETY
EQUIPMENT
SUBJECT 2: Head Rests
The injury commonly called "whiplash" occurs more frequently when a vehicle is rear-ended than when one is struck from the front. This is because the neck's anatomy makes the body less able to withstand backward motion of the head. The modern day motor vehicle has a device that will protect you from whiplash, but only if it is properly adjusted. This device is the headrest on the top part of the motor vehicle seat.
What does the term "Whiplash" mean?
The word whiplash is used because in a rear-end collision the head is accelerated faster and harder than the torso -- somewhat like the cracking of a whip. Thus, strictly speaking, whiplash describes an event, not an injury.
What position should the seat be in to achieve the best protection the head rest can give?
Correct positioning of the seat is also essential: head restraints are most effective in reducing neck injury when positioned close to the back of the occupant's head with the head rest level with the middle of the ears of the person driving the motor vehicle. If the seat is excessively reclined, the head rest is probably too far away to provide much protection. A head restraint is properly positioned if the head first encounters it at about ear level.
In a typical rear-end collision, the seated victim's torso is pressed suddenly back into the seat. During the first split second as the vehicle is thrown forward, the head is left behind, moving rearward. If the back of the head encounters a correctly positioned headrest, the head's movement is stopped -- usually before muscles are strained. Both torso and head then rebound forward from the seat back and headrest, with far less intensity than the original rearward motion. The entire event lasts perhaps a fifth of a second.
MAN, MACHINE AND ENVIRONMENT
MODULE 6: SAFETY
EQUIPMENT
SUBJECT 3: Child Restraints
Every day, children sustain serious injuries and die in motor vehicle crashes. Many of these injuries and deaths can be avoided with the correct use of child safety seats and safety belts. However, many adults are unaware they are using the safety restraint incorrectly, thereby placing their child at risk.
Children five years of age and under must be placed in a properly
installed, crash tested, federally approved restraint device. The law requires
children through three years of age have the restraint device be in a separate
carrier or a vehicle manufacturer's integrated child seat. For ages four and
five, a separate carrier, integrated child seat or seat belt may be used. Please
note when you have your grandchildren with you, it is your responsibility to
have them properly restrained in an appropriate restraint device. If your
children are sending you the grandchildren for a visit, ensure that you get the
grandchildren's child seats. You must have one seat for each child. If you do
not know how to install the child seats, ask your children to bring the
instructions for the seat. If they do not have the instructions, you can contact
your local law enforcement agency for help (i.e., the Florida Highway Patrol or
local Sheriffs office). You can also go online to http://www.kidseat.org/ for additional
information.
Should a child be seated in the front or back seat?
The bottom line is that the back seat is the safest place for a child of any age to ride.
At what age should a child be to use an infant seat?
Infant seats are designed for babies from birth until at least 20 pounds and one year of age. Children five years of age and under must be placed in a properly installed, crash tested, federally approved restraint device. For children through three years of age, the restraint device must be a separate carrier or a vehicle manufacturer's integrated child seat.
When can a child start using a safety belt?
When children are old enough (six and older) and large enough to "fit" an adult safety belt, they can be moved out of a booster seat. To "fit" a safety belt properly, the lap belt should fit snugly and properly across the hips and the shoulder strap should cross over the shoulder and across the chest.
Always read both the vehicle owner's manual and the car seat instructions carefully when deciding which car seat to use and how to properly install it. Installation can be difficult due to the variety of seat belt configurations, vehicle seat designs, and child safety seat designs. Check your car manual to find out if you need to use a locking clip or other equipment to properly secure the seat.
Whose responsibility is it for the child to be properly restrained?
The driver of the motor vehicle is responsible to ensure that a child is properly restrained. If not, the driver can receive a citation, a fine ($60 plus court cost of no more than $30) and three points on their driving record.
RESOURCES:
Florida Statutes, sections 316.613 and 318.18.
MAN, MACHINE AND ENVIRONMENT
MODULE 6: SAFETY
EQUIPMENT
SUBJECT 4: Air Bags
When air
bags were introduced in the early 1990's, there was considerable debate on how
fast they should deploy. Those who argued that the bag should deploy rapidly
enough to protect unbelted occupants of the front seat won the day. The force
this requires is a problem for smaller people and people who might be positioned
close to the air bag - primarily infants, children, and adults under five feet,
five inches tall. Infants and small adults should be seated in the rear of the
vehicle equipped with dual air bags protecting the front seat. Please note that
as you age, you become smaller and more fragile. This is a natural process of
aging. If you must drive, realize that sitting too close to an airbag, either in
the driver or passenger seat could injure you if the airbag inflates in a
collision. Being belted in and having the minimum 10 inches of space between you
and the airbag becomes more important the older you get.If this is not
possible, they should position their seat as far back from the air bag as
possible.
For cars that have airbags where should your hands grip the steering wheel?
The American Automobile Association (AAA) has suggested modifying the steering wheel gripping position in air bag equipped cars from ten and two o'clock to nine and three or even eight and four o'clock to allow room for the air bag to deploy1.
Can a new vehicle be purchased without air bags?
Almost all-new cars have dual (driver and passenger side) air bags. Starting in model year 1998, all new passenger cars must have dual air bags. Starting in model year 1999, all new light trucks must have dual air bags.
Can an airbag be disabled?
Disabling an air bag is difficult and can be dangerous. Federal law prohibits dealers, repair shops, etc. from disabling air bags. However, if necessary you can contact and obtain permission from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to disable an airbag. Eventually, some newer vehicles (i.e., pickup trucks) may include an on-off switch for the passenger side airbag.
Do air bags save lives?
Yes. Recent NHTSA research indicates an overall fatality reducing effectiveness for air bags of 11%. Air bags used in conjunction with the lap and shoulder belts offer the most effective safety protection available today for passenger vehicle occupants. In 1999, an estimated 1,263 lives were saved by air bags and from 1987 to 1999, a total of 4,969 lives have been saved2.
Do I need to wear my safety belts if I have airbags in my car?
Absolutely yes. Air bags are supplemental protection and are not designed to deploy in all crashes. Most are designed to deploy in moderate to severe front crashes3. Being struck from the side or rear, the air bags offer no protection. This is why seat belts must be worn in conjunction with air bags.
RESOURCES:
American Automobile Association, Responsible Driving, Chapters
3, number 1.
NHTSA, Traffic Safety Facts, 2000, Occupant Protection,
Washington, D. C., number 2, 3.
MAN, MACHINE AND ENVIRONMENT
MODULE 6: SAFETY
EQUIPMENT
SUBJECT 5: General Importance Of Vehicle Safety Maintenance
No matter how well you drive, you are not safe unless your vehicle is in good condition. You keep your vehicle in good condition by having the vehicle properly maintained. If it is not, your car could fail you at a critical moment, and you could be in a serious crash.
What
are the parts of the vehicle that you should properly maintain?
You should consider your vehicle from front to back, bottom to top.
Lights - Make sure that all of your lights work and that your light lenses are clean. Check headlights, taillights, directional signals and interior lights.
Windshield - Make sure that you regularly clean your windshield inside and out. Additionally, regularly change your windshield wipers. The windows are easier to see out of when they are clean.
Mirrors - Make sure that your mirrors are clean and pointed in the correct direction. The mirrors are designed to assist the driver in keeping track of traffic around their vehicle.
|
Tires - Make sure that your tires are properly inflated and not worn away. Tires are designed to grip the road and give the driver directional control. Bald, excessively worn, or improperly inflated tires decrease the ability of the driver to control the vehicle. Oil - Car engines run particularly well when they are regularly lubricated. Regular oil changes cost between $10-30. This is much less expensive than replacing or rebuilding an engine. |
 |
Belts, hoses, regular tune-ups - Have your belts and hoses checked at the regularly scheduled time periods mentioned in your owner's manual. Also, get a tune-up at the scheduled maintenance time.
Why should I bother to do vehicle maintenance?
Simple. The vehicle will last longer and work better. The time to find out that your car has a problem is in your driveway, not out on the interstate highway. Additionally, a properly maintained vehicle is a safer vehicle. Knowing that through proper maintenance your vehicle will function as advertised increases the potential for you to come through an emergency situation in one piece.
RESOURCES:
Your vehicle's owner's manual.
These questions are for practice only. You must only pass the
final exam.
(REMEMBER: You must answer ALL questions
listed below correctly before you can move to the next module)