Different Styles Of Seat Belts

You may have been driving one kind of vehicle all your life and strapped into the same seat belt every single day. But did you know that there are more than just the simple shoulder-and-lap belts? There are many different types of seat belts, each differing slightly in its functionality. Below I will describe to you a few different kinds of belts.

Let's start with lap belts. This is the oldest style of seat belts. It is made up of only an adjustable strap that goes across the waist. Unfortunately, this type of safety belt does not protect the upper body such as the head, neck, shoulders, or torso. Nowadays, cars are barely ever equipped with lap belts—except for in the middle rear seat sometimes.

The second type of seat belt that is available is a sash or shoulder belt. This is an adjustable strap that goes over the shoulder, of course. Unfortunately, this type of belt doesn’t provide a ton of restraint when a collision occurs. If equipped with just a shoulder belt, occupants can very easily slip out of it and face serious injury or even death! Therefore, you barely see this type of seat belt in newer models of vehicles.

Another kind of seat belt is the three-point belt. This is the type of seat belt that you probably have in your vehicle and refer to as a lap and shoulder belt. Most modern cars are equipped with such belts. They consist of a single band that stretches from the shoulders, runs across the chest area, and finally ends in a lap belt. These kinds of belts are great because they help spread out the force from an accident across the shoulders, chest, and pelvis—rather than focusing on just one area.

Regardless of the seat belt you own in your vehicle, it is essential to wear one at all times. If any damage occurs to your safety belt or you have a seat belt pretensioner blown, get it repaired immediately! You don't want to drive around with your seat belt pretensioner blown. Whether you have a seat belt pretensioner has blown or your seat belt isn't retracting, you can count on the company Safety Restore to help. The company also repairs SRS airbag modules and offers seat belt re-webbing services.