PHYSI C S ASSE SSME NT N O 3 , BY ADAM JOVAN OVIC , JULY 2 01 4

VEHICLE
SAFETY
BELTS

Introduction

Depending on the speed travelled, when a crash occurs,

unrestrained vehicle occupants can hit (now stationary)
parts
of the vehicle (dashboard, steering wheel, seats,
AND THEIR ROLE
windows etc.) or even other occupants, and may even
IN PREVENTING
get
ejected from the vehicle due to inertia. Statistics have
DEATHS CAUSED
proven that vehicle occupants not wearing a seatbelt
BY
TRAFFIC
suffer
much more severe injuries and are 10 times more likely
to be
killed in an accident than those wearing a seatbelt.
ACCIDENTS
Even
if wearing a seatbelt, passengers may get hit and fatally
injured by other unrestrained passengers.
Vehicle safety is of utmost importance in todays society. Vehicle safety features are
numerous, which add complexity to the analysis of the effects of any individual safety
feature. The following analysis is based on the premise that the only safety feature in a
vehicle is a safety belt, only assuming that the car chassis protection is inherited in the
design of each vehicle. The following scenarios were considered.

Explain how a seat belt is designed to counteract the effect of inertia

In a traffic accident, when a vehicle comes to a sudden stop, every object or body that is
not securely restrained will continue moving in the same direction due to Newtons first law
of motion: a body at rest tends to stay at rest and a body in motion tends to stay in
motion, unless acted upon by a net external force [2]. A seat belt is designed to counteract
the effect of inertia by restraining the strongest parts of the body (the chest and shoulders)
to the vehicle, ensuring they stop moving at the same time as the vehicle itself.
It is worth noting that a sudden stop at a speed is also not recommended and may create
multiple injuries (some internal, some external from the seatbelt itself). This is the reason
the seatbelt is a part of, and works in a conjunction with, a comprehensive vehicle safety
system. In an accident, when a car decelerates, it doesnt stop at once, even when hitting a
brick wall. The car body gets deformed, absorbing the speed and the energy of impact
gradually coming to a stop.

Outline why all people in cars should wear a seat belt

To reiterate, all people in cars should wear a seatbelt because any untethered objects in the
car will remain in motion in the incidence of a crash. If we consider that a slowing elevator
makes our blood move in the opposite direction, it is not hard to imagine what happens to
our entire body if exposed to a sudden halt as in an accident. When wearing a seatbelt, the
occupant is supplied with a barrier against being thrown forward, as any collision above the
speed of 7km/h will not allow him/her to desist hitting the obstacle in front.

Describe what happens during a head-on collision if a person is not

wearing a seat belt
(A head-on collision is defined as a collision in which two vehicles (train, motorcycle and, in
this case, cars) collide directly, while going in opposite directions)
If Newtonian laws are evaluated in this type of crash, the existence of "Relative Velocity"
creates an extremely large amount of force and momentum. In other words, the added
speeds of the two cars will total an increased deceleration force, which leads to inertia.
The effect on a passenger without a seatbelt is that he/she will be thrown forward similarly
as in the case of hitting a stationary object, but with the increased ferocity, which will vary
depending on the mass and acceleration of the other object. This can be calculated along
the following lines.
The formula of momentum (momentum = p = mv) can be reflected to show force using
Newtons Second Law as the change in momentum over time.
The Law of the Conservation of Momentum gives us the fact that momentum is not lost, but
instead is passed from one object to another.
When these attributes are applied to a head-on collision, we can see the ferocity.
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Adam Jovanovic

PHYSI C S ASSE SSME NT N O 3 , BY ADAM JOVAN OVIC , JULY 2 01 4

Firstly, when a car crashes head-on into a truck:

Truck- Weighs 4 tonnes, or 4000kg.
Car Weighs 2 tonnes, or 2000kg.
They are travelling toward each other, in course for a head-on collision. The car is moving
at 80km/h or 22.2m/s, while the truck is moving at 70km/h or 19.4m/s.
We can work the cars momentum out, using the formula, to be 44400 kg m/s
We can work out the trucks momentum to be at 77600 kg m/s
As these are vector quantities, we can give the car a negative value, to put it in respect to
the trucks momentum.
Upon impact, the final momentum will be 77600 44400 = 33200 km m/s in the same
direction as what the truck is travelling, meaning that the car will be pushed back by the
truck.
We can use the same process to examine the effect on two cars.
Car Both weigh 2000kg
Similarly to the truck scenario, the cars are on course to collide front-on.
The velocity of the first car is 80km/h (22.2m/s) towards the opposing car, while the velocity
of the second car is 70km/h(19.4m/s) in the exact opposite direction.
Momentum of the first car 444000 kg m/s
Momentum of the second car in relation to the first -38800 kg m/s
Therefore, we can conclude that the momentum upon impact in this scenario is 44400
38800 = 5600 kg m/s in the same direction that the first car was travelling. Because of this,
the second car will be pushed back.
As we can see, the weight and velocity of the vehicles involved in a head on collision
greatly impact on the ferocity of the crash.

Compare the effects on a driver and a front-seat passenger who are

not wearing a seat belt during a head-on collision
In case of an accident, severity of the injuries that both front seat occupants incur is fairly
similar. Below is the result of the study of the number of facial fractures sustained in
accidents, conducted by Sao Paulo University Medical School. As it can be seen in the
Without Seat Belt column, the driver sustained (on average) 4% more facial fractures
than the passenger.
In comparison with the passenger, the steering wheel poses additional threat to the driver.
Both chest and facial injuries are almost certain even at minor speeds. However, at the
same time a) steering wheel mechanism absorbs a part of the impact, and b) reduces the
possibility of the driver being ejected from the vehicle. On the other side, the front seat
passenger is most often ejected from the vehicle, sustaining the cuts and bruises and being
endangered by the other vehicle partaking in the collision. However, this position may
actually save the passenger from serious harm. In the end, as far as this particular question
is concerned, its all relative and depends on other factors in the impact.

Compare the effects on a front-seat passenger and a rear-seat

passenger who are not wearing a seat belt during a head-on collision
The same table above also claims that the facial injuries to the rear seat passengers not
wearing seatbelts were approximately 30% more numerous than those sustained by the
front seat passengers. While logic may suggest that the front seat itself would provide
some protection to the rear passengers, unrestrained rear seat passengers can also move
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Adam Jovanovic

PHYSI C S ASSE SSME NT N O 3 , BY ADAM JOVAN OVIC , JULY 2 01 4

much more freely around the back of the car, colliding with not only other parts of the
vehicle but with other passengers as well, inflicting injuries to each other.
Furthermore, an unbelted average sized rear passenger involved in a 50km/h collision
creates 3.5 ton force on the front seat, damaging the seat and often killing the front
passenger. Dr Masao Ichikawa, of Tokyo University, reports in his study that 80% of the
buckled up front seat passengers would not have died if the rear seat passengers in the
same accident were wearing seatbelts. This tells us how severe are the forces impacting
the rear seat passengers.

Describe what happens to a baby during a head-on collision if it is

not secured by a seat belt
Babies are exposed to the same hazards as the adults not wearing seat belts. The major
difference is in fragility of babys body, which makes the injuries much more severe.

Outline the danger of the lap seat belt during a collision

As per the law of Inertia, any occupants of a car will be thrown forward upon rapid
deceleration. With a lap-seat belt, only the lower portion of the person's body will be
restrained, throwing their upper and lower body forward, suspended at the waist by the
strap. This creates immense strain on both the belt and the user as the surface area
covered is very concentrated. In more serious crashes, this will damage organs inside the
stomach area, while possibly impacting the cranial area due to hitting the steering wheel;,
the back of a seat, the dashboard of a car etc.
Strain, on the seatbelt itself, can effect in such a way that it could fail to work and the
occupant simply rushes forward due to inertial force.

Assess which type of seat belt provides greatest restraint

There are numerous types of seat belts, the most common ones being:
1.
Lap seatbelt, or 2 point
2.
Lap-sash seatbelt, or 3 point
3.
Harness seat belt, which can have between 4 and 7 anchoring points.
The lap belt was the first one invented and consisted of a belt secured across the lap of
the vehicle occupant, attached at its ends to the vehicle. This type of belt is being phased
out but is still in use in commercial airplanes, some car rear seats, trucks etc.
A short lived variation of this 2 point seat belt is the sash seatbelt which goes from ones
shoulder, across the chest and is attached in the lap area. It is less effective than the lap
belt because it is very easy to slip out of the belt in an accident.
This early lap seat belt significantly reduced the road toll around the world. However, the
force of the impact is distributed across a small surface area of the seatbelt, which makes
the seat belt itself a potential hazard. Also, it does not prevent the upper body moving and
colliding with other objects in an accident.
The lap-sash belt, 3 point system invented by Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin, solved the
above mentioned disadvantages of the 2 point seat belt. Not only that but, according to
BBC, it saved lives of over 1 million people worldwide and considerably reduced the
severity of the injuries. This type of seat belt is found in all of todays cars. It provides
superior protection with outstanding user friendliness.
The harness type seat belts provide the ultimate protection and are mostly used in
racing applications. The 4 point system secures both shoulders at the back and both legs on
the side, 5 point adds an anchor between the legs (most commonly used in kids and babies
chairs) and 6 point has 2 anchors between the legs. Lastly, 7 point consists of a 5 point seat
belt plus an additional lap belt and is used in aerobatic airplanes.
The more anchoring points, the greater restraining capabilities. Based on this, it is clear
that the harness seat belt is the winner in this contest.
Conclusion
The human body is not designed to withstand the enormous forces and strains it is placed
under in a vehicle accident and therefore requires assistance in a form of multiple safety
features. The most important and the most widely spread is the seatbelt which has proven
its value for the past 50 years worldwide. Not only that they prevent the passengers being
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Adam Jovanovic

PHYSI C S ASSE SSME NT N O 3 , BY ADAM JOVAN OVIC , JULY 2 01 4

ejected from the vehicle but reduce the time taken for a body to stop, spread the impact of
the force over a larger area of the seat belt and prevent moving the occupants inside the
vehicle, thus minimising the contact with the vehicle parts and other passengers.

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