How to Teach a Young Driver the Value of Seatbelts

You let him take Driver’s Education. You let her get a Learner’s Permit. You let him test for his license and he passed! Traffic accidents are a leading cause of death among kids in their teens and early twenties. Drive down the street today, and you can still see people of all ages in moving cars without seatbelts. It is sad to know that many senseless deaths can be prevented with proper seatbelt use. Upon completing this lesson, you will teach your teenage driver how seatbelts and other restraints protect humans and save lives.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• One folding chair
• Two belts or cargo straps
• One cutting board or piece of plywood
• One very soft pillow
• One very hard baseball bat

Proper Restraints Save Lives!

1. With your child sitting in the chair, fasten a belt around her and the chair at waist level. Now, tell her that the original intent of the lap belt was to keep the passenger’s body from sliding forward and slamming the dashboard. Hold up the cutting board at chest level about a foot in front of her and ask her to bend forward, simulating her movement in a crash. She will quickly see why lap restraints were modified to include shoulder restraints.
2. Now remove the first belt, take the second belt or strap and lay it over your child’s left shoulder. Fasten it around the right side of the seat where the two right legs meet by the hip. Have your child try to repeat the forward motion. He will now see the value of the shoulder restraint, but his hips will slide forward, creating a submarine or hangman effect.
3. Now refasten the lap belt and repeat the process. Your child will now see the value of the three point restraint system, as no part of her body will slide forward or impact the dashboard. She will also be able to maintain control of the wheel, since she would not be bounced out of the driver’s seat.
4. Contrary to popular belief, the head rest is not merely a place to rest your head. The head rest is a safety feature and it is adjustable. Have your child tip his head back, simulating a reaction to a rear end collision. This motion will cause whiplash at even low speeds. Place the cutting board surface flat against the back of his head. Explain that the head rest should be high enough to keep the head from snapping back. Have him try this now. He will now see the value of the head restraint.
5. Explain to your child that the airbag is a tightly packed fabric balloon in the steering wheel. The airbag has sensors that set off a gas charge when they detect a strong enough collision. This gas charge has the force of a hard-swung baseball bad as the airbag leaves the steering wheel, but when the airbag inflates it is a much softer and less powerful blow.
   
   To demonstrate this effect, have your child remove the restraint belts. To simulate an airbag deployment without seatbelts, have your child bend forward toward the baseball bat you are now holding. Suggest strongly that she try it faster this time, as you wind up to take a swing. Now ask her if she would prefer a cold, hard baseball bat or a big, fluffy pillow. She will now see the value of airbags when used properly with safety belts. This is a graphic demonstration, but it will certainly open the eyes of the invincible teen in your life.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wear seatbelts when driving in a motor vehicle.