Seat Belt Expert Analysis

The seatbelt is the primary safety device for occupant/passenger safety. The purpose of the seat belt is to restrict the movement of the occupants within the vehicle, in the vast majority of cases to stop occupants being ejected and to keep occupants fixed into their seats so as to minimize the potential for serious injury.

A correctly fitting lap and shoulder belt secures an occupant to their seated position within the passenger compartment thereby minimising or eliminating the potential for contact with the vehicle interior including the back of seats in front, the windscreen and other internal structures as well as other occupants inside the vehicle.

During an impact of sufficient magnitude, forces are applied to the load bearing parts of the seat belt mechanism/components (common points) which are acting to hold the occupant in place. When large forces are involved the seat belt webbing will stretch and the friction between the belt surfaces of the tongues and the belt fabric generate significant heat, producing witness marks in the form or friction markings and burning on the surfaces in contact. It is this characteristic physical evidence which can assist in determining whether a seat belt was being worn or not at the time of a collision.

Our Experts are highly experienced in the examination of seatbelts and seatbelt mechanisms.