Are seatbelts still relevant?

Now that it has been years since the “click it, or ticket” campaigns, getting in your car and putting on your seatbelt is likely a well-established habit.

Decades later, seatbelts are among many other safety features like airbags and lane-drift warnings. When you compare seatbelts to these modern additions, the seatbelt can seem almost rudimentary.

Here’s what you should know about seat belts and how they are still essential to your vehicle’s safety systems.

First line of defense

When you slam on your breaks or your car changes directions rapidly, there are mechanisms in your vehicle that lock the seatbelt to help you stay in place. Rather than flying through the windshield or getting knocked around the car, your seatbelt helps you stay put.

Supporting the other features

Several years ago, there was a rumor that airbags and seatbelts are connected systems and that airbags will not work without an engaged seatbelt. While the two systems do not rely on each other to work, they do support each other.

It would be problematic to have the systems depend on each other, either in case of a system failure or a user failing to fasten their seatbelt. Like many different systems in your vehicle, the safety mechanisms can function independently.

Airbags are designed to work in conjunction with a buckled occupant. If you do not fasten your seatbelt properly, you could experience the immediate and full force of the airbag and experience more significant injuries.

Still essential

Your seatbelt is still an important part of being safe in your vehicle. It is the first system your car has in place to help you stay safe in a crash.