An unbelted passenger is deadly

One of the most deeply rooted myths about seat belts in cars is the belief that passengers in the back seat don't need to wear them. The results of the study prove that it is this group of car users who is most ignorant of the consequences of not complying with the obligation to wear seat belts.

Although there is some improvement this year compared to studies conducted a few years ago, fastening seat belts in the back of a car is still considered a curiosity in our country. The results of a study commissioned by the National Highway Traffic Safety Board are alarming: only 40% of drivers regularly wear seat belts when they are riding in the back seat, and 38% of those who don't.

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Axis experts consider this belief completely irrational. – A person traveling without fastened seat belts risks losing health and life. In addition, it is also a mortal threat to other people traveling in the same vehicle. - emphasizes Marek Plona, ​​an expert on the safety of children in cars.

“Often in the course of emergency reports, it turns out that the cause of death or serious injury to a child traveling in a seat was an unbelted person. the roses in the back seat were "reliable".

– When we drive as a passenger, we leave our worries behind. We don't have to think, we can relax, enjoy the views. Hence the conviction that the possible danger does not concern us, says Andrzej Markowski, Vice President of the Association of Transport Psychologists.

You need to know that in a head-on collision, even at a speed of 64 km / h, which is not considered dangerous by non-specialists, overloads of up to 30 g can occur (acceleration is 30 times greater than the acceleration of free fall). Then a person weighing 84 kg will act on the front seat or other passengers as if his weight were 2,5 tons (84 kg x 300m/s2 = 25 N)!

“If drivers knew about this, they would not allow anyone to ride in their car without a seat belt. - adds Marek Plona. Meanwhile, a study done for KRBRD also confirmed the alarming ignorance of Polish drivers and passengers in this regard.

Many Poles, especially the elderly, are not accustomed to wearing seat belts in the back seat of a car, because there was no such obligation before. “For many years, most cars did not have seat belts in the back seat, and we, unfortunately, are from that generation,” said one of the survey participants.

Research shows that fellow travelers are unfavorable in yet another way. Although there is a prevailing belief that the driver of a car must wear seat belts, if the driver of the vehicle disregards this rule, in most cases he will not be reprimanded by anyone. Passengers, even those who normally wear seat belts, usually do not remind drivers to fasten their seat belts. As Dr. Andrzej Markowski notes, the Poles are very little involved in this issue. "Everyone has a starchy kneecap" attitude and lack of responsibility for the driver's life, he explains.

This confirms another sad conclusion of the study: if the fellow traveler decides to attract the attention of the driver, then the main argument will not be the possibility of losing his life, but the threat of a fine. However, the opposite is much better: if the driver asks passengers to fasten their seat belts, this request is usually granted. You can even say that drivers "set the tone" in the car in this regard. - If the driver is wearing a seat belt, then so am I. When you are with someone in a car, you have to listen,” explained one of the passengers who participated in the study.

Despite the conclusions presented by the participants in the study, the rule imposing on the driver the obligation to pay a fine for an unfastened passenger met with strong opposition from the respondents. A significant number of people were of the opinion that adults are responsible for themselves and that they should bear the consequences of their behavior, so such a ticket should be paid only by the unbelted passenger.

The images in the immediate vicinity proved to be no less important than the attitude of the driver. Many respondents emphasized that when traveling in the back seat, they either fasten their seat belts or don't because their friends, parents or siblings do the same. That's why it's so important that when we remind others to wear our seat belts, we ourselves must do so. Also in the back seat.

Police stats:

In 2010, 397 people were punished for not wearing seat belts in vehicles, and more than 299 people for not having a child seat in a car. In 7, more than 250 people were injured in road traffic crashes, including 2010 deaths and 52 injured. Of this group of drivers and passengers, 000 people were injured, of which 3 died and 907 were injured.

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What does the law say?

Law of June 20, 1997 - Road Traffic Law:

Obligation to use belts:

Article 39 1. The driver of a motor vehicle and a person transported in such a vehicle equipped with seat belts shall be obliged to use these belts when driving (…)

Article 45. 2. The driver of a vehicle is prohibited: (…)

tell jokes. 39, 40 or 63 sec. one;

Article 63 1. The carriage of passengers may be carried out only by means of transport designed or adapted for this purpose. The number of passengers carried cannot exceed the number of seats indicated in the registration document, subject to clause 4. The number of passengers in a vehicle not subject to registration is determined by the design purpose of the vehicle.