In the crash tests they have the dummy upright and the car at steady speed until the moment of collision. In reality, many times you'd be braking, maybe smoothly increasing rather than slamming it immediately. Braking before collision is where the problem starts that makes the seat belt unsafe in the real world.
The driver's seat belt has delayed and inconsistent locking, often not locking in braking or locking late. Even when it does lock earlier, it allows too much travel, i.e. 1/3 distance to wheel. Under moderate braking, before enough deceleration occurs to lock the belt, you can travel very far forward and it's hard to hold yourself back. Even if you're ready for that, the force needed is a distraction from what's happening on the road and makes it more difficult to steer, plus they say that being tense makes injuries worse during a collision.
I've tested it thoroughly many times, with the seat as far back as is drivable and the wheel as far away as practical for a slightly below average size guy. Under moderate braking, it locked with my head 1 inch from the wheel. If you then hit something, your head will hit the steering wheel and the air bag would deploy at point-blank range to your head and chest. You can picture the rest, especially for a lightweight person.
The passenger seat belt has an alternate mode you can activate by pulling the belt all the way out, which activates a retract-only ratchet so it will hold you close to the seat until released. The driver's belt does not have that feature. This is also the case on other cars, but on other cars the driver's belt locks more readily.
Watch the IIHS crash videos, and picture how it would be if the dummy had just decelerated from 70 to 40 rather than cruising into the barrier at steady 40. Picture the dummy already 1/3 to fully against the wheel at the moment of collision.
This is a 3-year-old car that has not been in a collision, if the records are correct and I can believe my eyes. If I find a way to install a ratchet-type retractor on the driver's side, something that the insurance company does not object to, I'll post a follow-up. Right now what I know is that the GM parts are specific to each side.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
In the crash tests they have the dummy upright and the car at steady speed until the moment of collision. In reality, many times you'd be braking, maybe smoothly increasing rather than slamming it immediately. Braking before collision is where the problem starts that makes the seat belt unsafe in the real world.
The driver's seat belt has delayed and inconsistent locking, often not locking in braking or locking late. Even when it does lock earlier, it allows too much travel, i.e. 1/3 distance to wheel. Under moderate braking, before enough deceleration occurs to lock the belt, you can travel very far forward and it's hard to hold yourself back. Even if you're ready for that, the force needed is a distraction from what's happening on the road and makes it more difficult to steer, plus they say that being tense makes injuries worse during a collision.
I've tested it thoroughly many times, with the seat as far back as is drivable and the wheel as far away as practical for a slightly below average size guy. Under moderate braking, it locked with my head 1 inch from the wheel. If you then hit something, your head will hit the steering wheel and the air bag would deploy at point-blank range to your head and chest. You can picture the rest, especially for a lightweight person.
The passenger seat belt has an alternate mode you can activate by pulling the belt all the way out, which activates a retract-only ratchet so it will hold you close to the seat until released. The driver's belt does not have that feature. This is also the case on other cars, but on other cars the driver's belt locks more readily.
Watch the IIHS crash videos, and picture how it would be if the dummy had just decelerated from 70 to 40 rather than cruising into the barrier at steady 40. Picture the dummy already 1/3 to fully against the wheel at the moment of collision.
This is a 3-year-old car that has not been in a collision, if the records are correct and I can believe my eyes. If I find a way to install a ratchet-type retractor on the driver's side, something that the insurance company does not object to, I'll post a follow-up. Right now what I know is that the GM parts are specific to each side.
- maliboo, Charleston, SC, US