Well I was always taught that the seat belt keeps you in your seat and the shoulder belt stops forward movement. Now go back and actually watch the video I posted. Both of them go full forward into the bag and get a full face full bag. But now watch closer at :16-:18 or so. Looks like the belt is not even on the drivers shoulder. ?????
Yet on other views it looks like it is on as you can see it extend.

Just noticed this stuff in the video that is all. To me it does not appear the shoulder belt does much or what it is supposed to do. Stop the occupant from going forward into the bag.

 

The lat belt does keep you in the vehicle. The shoulder harness slows and limits forward movement. Think about it this way, an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless it is acted upon by an equal and opposite force. If the shoulder harness completely stopped forward movement, you would hear a lot more about ruptured organs and Dale Earnhart type deaths. In other words, it's not the crash that'll kill you it's the sudden stop.

The NHTSA video you posted isnt very good. It doesn't clearly show where the momentum of the body us stopped. If you look closely though you can see the dummy is stopped before impacting the steering wheel.

The Rusty Haight (human crash dummy) video does a better job of illustrating the effectiveness of the shoulder harness

 

This ought to make you feel better about your choice in vehicles.

 

I get a little hot under the collar when I hear people question the value of seatbelts.

About 20 years ago, I worked as a Medic for 5 years. Back then, seatbelts weren't used as regularly as they are today.

Within the hundreds of serious/fatal vehicular accidents I've attended, I only remember unbuckling one dead victim. I had multiple cases where people were seriously injured involved in relatively minor accidents with head injuries because they did not have their seat restraints on. Most cases with head on's, were the occupants of one vehicle were wearing their belts, and another were not, the people not wearing their seat belts always took the worse of the accident.

Wear your seatbelts people. The life you save may be your own!

(Being in a fully framed, full size pick up truck also helps)!

 

Well, I hope you didn't misunderstand me. I wasn't questioning their use. I use my mine religiously. Just questioning what it shows in the video. Both occupants smash into the air bags without much slowing down form the shoulder belts....Lots of forward movement, if the shou.....


Never mind!

 

It's a valid argument. Once you've crawled out of a car on your own accord and then had to cut your strangling friend out of the driver's seat, you begin to question its used. In most cases, I can see where a belt helps if not saves your life, but there are some instances where a belt causes more harm than good.


Anyways, I dunno about yours, but on mine, if I so much as even barely lose traction while taking off, the seat belts lock....