In South Africa it is compulsory that all motor vehicles manufactured in the country are fitted with at least one SABS approved seat belt for each passenger seat in the front and in the back of the vehicle.
In South Africa it is compulsory that all motor vehicles manufactured in the country are fitted with at least one SABS approved seat belt for each passenger seat in the front and in the back of the vehicle.
It is also compulsory that all passengers in a motor vehicle must be strapped in at all times. All small children under about 21kgs must be strapped in using a SABS approved safety seat.
Only once the child has grown out of the safety seat do they then graduate to the seat belt. If you have strapped a child into a seat belt with a seat belt you will realise they are not made for children but designed for adults.
When a child is strapped in with a seat belt that is too big for them, the diagonal shoulder belt will invariably pass across the child’s neck or face where it is dangerous and may even strangle the child.
Vehicle owners and parents can now purchase a Secure-A-Kid comfort and safety harness.
The safety harness, which fits all seat belts, re-directs the shoulder seat belt ensuring that it is pulled away from the neck and face, not away from the shoulder.
This is achieved by the lap belt holding Secure-A-Kid in the correct position. The harness is easy to fit, pulling the safety belt through the harness, and can be left on the belt.
When trying out the belt at Suzi-Q, little Frances Jackson said the harness was “soft and comfy,” adding that it did not scratch her neck as the safety belt does without the harness.
Seat belts and child restraints are secondary safety devices and are primarily designed to prevent or minimize injury to a vehicle occupant when a crash has occurred. Seat-belts and child restraints therefore:
• reduce the risk of contact with the interior of the vehicle or reduce the severity of injuries if this occurs;
• distribute the forces of a crash over the strongest parts of the human body;
• prevent the occupant from being ejected from the vehicle in an impact;
• Prevent injury to other occupants. For example in a frontal crash, unbelted rear-seated passengers can be catapulted forward and hit other occupants.
The actions of rear seat passengers can affect both injuries that they themselves might sustain as well as those that may be sustained by the driver or front seat passenger.
An unrestrained rear seat passenger poses a serious threat to any restrained person seated directly ahead of them.
A belted occupant will be kept in their seat and will reduce speed at the same rate as the car, so that the mechanical energy to which the body is exposed will be greatly reduced. The Secure-A-Kid comfort and safety harnesses are available from Suzi-Q in High Street.
