Accidents don'’t only stress out drivers. Your seat belts can be placed under enormous stress during an accident. That’s why it is extremely important to have your body shop and insurance adjuster check the following areas of your seatbelts after an accident:

• Guides
• Retainers
• Buckles
• Retractors

In addition, if the seatbelt fabric looks damaged or torn in any way, or if the plastic guides show any damage, replace the seat belt immediately.

Taking precautions with your seatbelts after an accident can go along way to save your life in case of future incidents.

AIR BAGS

Airbags save lives. They work best when everyone is buckled and children are properly restrained in the back seat. Children riding in the front seat can be seriously injured or killed when an air bag comes out in a crash. An air bag is not a soft, billowy pillow. To do its important job, an air bag comes out of the dashboard at up to 200 miles per hour – faster than the blink of an eye. The force of an air bag can hurt those who are too close to it. Drivers can prevent air bag-related injuries to adults and children by following the critical safety points on the back.

Adult Safety Points

• Everyone should buckle up with both lap and shoulder belts on every trip. Air bags are supplemental protection devices .
• The lap belt should be worn under the abdomen and low across the hips. The shoulder portion should come over the collar bone away from the neck and cross over the breast bone. The shoulder belt in most new cars can be adjusted on the side pillar to improve fit.
• Driver and front passenger seats should be moved as far back as practical, particularly for shorter statured people.

Child Safety Points

• The back seat is generally the safest place in a crash.
• If your vehicle has a passenger air bag, it is essential for children 12 and under to ride in back.
• Infants should ride in rear facing restraints, preferably in the back seat, until about age 1 and at least 20-22 lbs. Infants who weigh 20 lbs. before 1 year of age should ride in a restraint approved for higher rear facing weights. Always read your child restraint owner manual for instructions on properly using the restraint.
• Children over age one and at least 20 pounds may ride facing forward.
• Put the belt through the right slot. If your safety seat can be used facing either way, use the correct belt slots for each direction.
• The safety belt must stay tight when securing the safety seat. Check the vehicle owner's manual for tips on using the safety belts.
• Keep the straps over your child’s shoulder. The harness should be adjusted so you can slip only one finger underneath the straps at your child's chest. Place the chest clip at armpit level.
• Keep your child in a safety seat with a full harness as long as possible, at least until 40 pounds. Then use a belt-positioning booster seat which helps the adult lap and shoulder belt fit better.
• A belt-positioning booster seat is preferred for children between 40-80 pounds. It is used with the adult lap and shoulder belt. Check on special products for heavy children too active to sit still in a booster.
• The child must be tall enough to sit without slouching, with knees bent at the edge of the seat, with feet on the floor. The lap belt must fit low and tight across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should rest over the shoulder and across the chest. Never put the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the child's back. The adult lap and shoulder belt system alone will not fit most children until they are at least 4'9" tall and weigh about 80 pounds.