It’s not a well known fact but, although driving seems simple, it’s actually one of the most complicated activities you can do. It involves a lot of instinct and intelligence that can be difficult to acquire but thankfully are hard to lose. It’s not without it’s risks, however. Car safety is incredibly important but there’s just so much to keep track of. With all of the rules and regulations that come with car safety, it can be hard to keep track of exactly what’s important and what’s less important. Your local auto dealer can help you with a little bit but you’re going to want to take most of your car safety into your own hands. How do you do it though? If you can’t rely on your car dealer and you have to rely on your own intuition, then what’s the best place to start? What are the most important factors when it comes to car safety? What follows is a short list of car safety facts you might want to know.
- Seats and seat belts
All family friendly vehicles are required by law to come with seat belts. It’s one of the most common safety features in any car and can seem simple at the best of times. But, although the process of putting on your seat belt can be easy, the concept behind the seat belt itself isn’t nearly so simple. Let’s take a theoretical family, the Mortons. Now, the Mortons live in suburban Denver with a single child and a dog named Molly. They live in a nice house and have a thing for dog friendly cars, pizza restaurants and the occasional soccer game. But, to get to most of these things, they are going to need a car that’s as safe as it is efficient. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when it comes to this idea and it’s doubtful that the Mortons know all of them but they should know at least a few. Out of all the things they need to learn, the reasons behind the seat belt will help keep them the most safe in a practical sense. Along with the brakes, the seat belts are scientifically proven to be the most integral thing in keeping the occupants of a car safe during any type of crash. But why is this? What are the factors behind this?
The science behind seat belts
Everything from where the seat belts are to what they are made of is heavily regulated by the auto industry. They start by testing where the seat belts are typically placed in the car and whether there any improvements that can be made. While doing this they also have to take into account the different ways that people put their seat belts on which can be harder than it sounds. People will often shift in their seats, after all, and, although the driver needs to stay in one position, that cannot be said for everyone. A lot of people will slouch or sleep in their seats and the auto companies make sure to take this into account when deciding on the best place for the root of the seat belt to be placed. It’s all for nothing, though, if they don’t test the material as well. In past times, seat belts were made of different nylons and fabrics that were constantly being mutated and updated. It was safe enough although many different man made fabrics were used to varying degrees of effectiveness. Nowadays the blends they use are hyper strong and only getting stronger all the time.
Other factors of car safety
The Mortons would be well served by knowing all of this but seat belts aren’t the only important thing when it comes to car safety. They need to know how take care of their brakes, for example or how to replace engine oil when it gets low. A car is like a body, after all, and there are many different components that all work together in complicated ways. It always pays to pay close attention to your car.