The dangers of wearing your seatbelt incorrectly revealed

Ever pondered the consequences of not wearing your seatbelt correctly in the event of accident?

The NSW Centre for Road Safety has shown the sobering results after conducting a test at its Crashlab facility recently.

Using two dummies – one with the seatbelt worn incorrectly under the arm and the other travelling in a reclined seat, or ‘low riding’ – the centre stowed a Toyota Camry into a wall at 60km/h.

The first dummy wearing a seatbelt under the arm is seen propelled forward into the dashboard, an event that would leave a grim prognosis in a real-life accident, according to stakeholders. The other passenger, seen ‘low riding’, also suffers dire consequences.

“All the force is applied to the abdomen which would probably result in injuries to the liver, spleen, anything within the abdomen,” said Dr Jeremy Hsu, head of Trauma and a surgeon at the Westmead Hospital.

“When it came to the low rider test, [there is] a very high-risk of death and permanent disability.”

The Centre for Road Safety released the vision to coincide with Yellow Ribbon National Road Safety week.

According to official figures, 30 people died on NSW roads last year not wearing a seatbelt or wearing a seatbelt incorrectly.

Minister for Roads, Maritime and Freight, Melinda Pavey, said the crash test footage should serve as a warning to road users.

“Think about when you have worn, or have seen someone wear, a seatbelt under the arm to prevent it from rubbing on the neck, or to prevent clothes from being creased, and think about the potential consequences demonstrated in this crash test footage,” Pavey said.

“Another reason is beauty - whether you’re putting on make-up in the mirror or don’t want your spray tan to be smudged, you really need to watch this footage. Vanity is not worth it.”

“Think about when you’ve been tired and reclined your seat as a passenger in a moving  car or indeed reclined your seat while driving - as we see with young men ‘low riding’.”