Although your chances of survival are better (than someone wearing no restraining device), if you only wear a lap belt or a shoulder harness, each will still result in injury.
If you only wear a shoulder harness, you will slide under it on impact and bang up your lower body as well as crush your trachea (throat).
If you only wear a lap belt, your chance of spinal column and abdominal injuries increases.
Even if your vehicle is equipped with air bags, you must still properly wear BOTH a lap belt and a shoulder harness. This is particularly important in later model vehicles that automatically deploy shoulder harnesses when a person climbs into a seat. That is only half the story—you still need to do the rest! Also keep in mind that a police officer can cite you for partial use of your safety equipment if you only use the shoulder harness or lap belt.
Finally, some people slide the shoulder harness under their right armpit. In a collision, this can result in injury.
The harness would slide down the body and become a second lap belt, resulting in the upper body hitting the dashboard/steering wheel.
Or the harness might stay in position, causing the body to twist to the right and resulting in the lower spine twisting and the person hitting his or her head on the steering wheel or dashboard.
Preview Additional Tips on How to Buckle up Properly
The safest seat for children 12 and under is the back seat.
A third of the deaths of children 12 and under in vehicle crashes could be avoided if children were placed in the back seat and buckled up.
Pregnant women should position the lap belt as low as possible under the abdomen and the shoulder harness to the left of the tummy bulge and between the breasts. The safety belt will not harm an unborn baby; however, an unborn baby may be harmed if the mother becomes injured in a collision because she failed to wear a safety belt.
If the area doesn’t have seat belts, it is because it isn’t meant to be ridden in – don’t ride there! It is illegal to transport passengers in the back of a flatbed truck, unless that flatbed is equipped with passenger restraint systems (The only exceptions are emergency situations and parades). It’s also illegal to transport animals back there (except for livestock and dogs used for ranching and farming), unless the truck is specially equipped to carry animals – it must be enclosed, or have side and tail racks of at least 46 inches in height extending vertically from the floor. Otherwise, the vehicle has to have means installed to keep the animal from falling (or jumping!) from the vehicle, such as a secured cage or tethers.
It is illegal for a person to ride in the trunk of a vehicle, or for a driver to allow another person to ride in the trunk of a vehicle being driven (21712, CVC). Violators will be charged with an infraction and fined.
Preview Maintenance
It is important that lap belts and shoulder straps be kept in working order, with feeder mechanisms functioning smoothly and replaced if they show any signs of wear. The split second before your head hits the windshield isn't the time to remember to fix that malfunctioning safety belt. Safety belts must fit snugly against the body and immediately lock up when a sudden motion forward occurs. If they have too much free play, they will not prevent the body from being flung about.
Preview Child Safety Seats
This amendment requires the following:
Child safety seats must be used for all children until they are at least 8 years of age or at least 4 feet 9 inches in height.
Children under 8 years of age but are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall must be properly secured with a safety belt (or in a child passenger restraint system).
Children between the ages of 8 and 16 must be properly secured with a safety belt (or in a child passenger restraint system)
This law authorizes law enforcement officers to stop a vehicle transporting children under the age of 16 if the officers believe that the children are not properly restrained. Violations can result in fines of $100 for the first offense and $250 for subsequent offenses. If the unrestrained child is less than 8 years of age and under 4 feet 9 inches tall, a conviction will also result in a one-point violation on your driver record. Here are some additional tips on child safety seat handling:
The safety seat should face backwards on the back seat for babies up to 20 pounds and about a year old.
Never place children in safety seats in the front seat of a vehicle equipped with an air bag. Airbags pop open at speeds of 200 mph after a collision and the impact can cause fatalities in younger passengers. If the safety seat is placed correctly (facing backwards), the child's neck will be broken if the airbag goes off. If the safety seat is placed incorrectly (facing forward) and the child is hit by an inflating airbag, the damage is indescribable!
Read the manufacturer's installation instructions carefully. Ensure the safety belt is threaded through the correct slots of the safety seat and properly secured, otherwise it won't function correctly. Also make sure the seat harness is taut (not tight) over the child's shoulders.
Child Safety Seats - Amendment to California Vehicle Code 27363*
Requires that a child who is required to be secured in a child safety seat (under 8 years and less than 4’9” tall), be secured in the rear seat of the vehicle. A child is allowed to be secured in the front seat of the vehicle if:
There is no rear seat
The rear seats are side-facing jump seats
The rear seats are rear-facing seats
The restraint system cannot be installed properly in the rear seat
All rear seats are already occupied by children 7 years of age or under.
Medical reasons require the child to ride in the front seat - in this case, written proof of the child's medical condition should be available for inspection.
A child may not ride in the front seat of a motor vehicle equipped with a passenger air bag if they are under one year of age, weigh less than 20 pounds, or are riding in a rear-facing child passenger restraint system. *These provisions became effective on January 1, 2012.