Dr. Rüştü Uçan, Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department at Üsküdar Üniversitesi Faculty of Health Sciences, and Özgür Şener, Lecturer in the Occupational Health and Safety Department and Road and Traffic Safety Consultant, made assessments regarding seatbelt use.
A crucial piece of equipment ensuring the safety and security of drivers and passengers
Dr. Rüştü Uçan, Head of the Occupational Health and Safety Department, stated that the seatbelt is a very important safety equipment that ensures the safety and security of drivers and passengers traveling in a vehicle, and added, “Despite its ease of use, its adoption is unfortunately not widespread in our country. In the World Health Organization Global Road Safety Report; compliance with seatbelt use among those traveling in private cars in Turkey was found to be 50% for drivers and 41% for front-seat occupants. Unfortunately, rear-seat seatbelt use is very rare. This rate was assessed as 98% for drivers and front-seat occupants and 99% for rear-seat occupants in Germany, and 95% for drivers and front-seat occupants and 90% for rear-seat occupants in the UK.” he explained.
Ensures drivers and passengers remain fixed in their seats during an accident
Dr. Rüştü Uçan explained that seatbelts activate in adverse situations such as the driver hitting another vehicle or a hard object, another driver hitting the vehicle you are driving, or the vehicle overturning due to the driver losing control for some reason, ensuring that drivers and passengers remain fixed in their seats, which are the safest places within the vehicle. He continued:
“Imagine you are traveling in a vehicle at a certain speed and hit another vehicle. Let the speed of your vehicle be 50 kilometers per hour, which is the urban speed limit in our country. After this collision, your vehicle will rapidly come to a stop as its forward movement is impeded. If the seatbelts of the driver and passengers inside the vehicle are not fastened, they will continue to move forward inside the vehicle at its final speed of 50 kilometers per hour. Those in the front seat will hit the vehicle’s dashboard, windshield, and those in the rear seat will hit the seats in front of them at 50 kilometers per hour. Unfortunately, the delicate human body cannot withstand such an impact. Head fractures, neck fractures, being thrown out of the vehicle’s window, and broken arms and legs while trying to hold on are unfortunately inevitable.
According to 2022 General Directorate of Security accident data; the number of fatal and injury-involved accidents without seatbelt use is twice as high as those with seatbelt use. In fatal accidents, 24.8% of seatbelt users survive the accident unharmed, whereas this rate is 6.3% for non-seatbelt users.”
Seatbelts reduce rear-seat fatalities by 75%
According to World Health Organization data (2008; 2013) on seatbelt studies; Dr. Rüştü Uçan stated that seatbelt use plays a significant role in reducing the risk of death and injury in the event of a traffic accident, adding, “The rate at which seatbelts reduce the risk of death and injury in the event of a traffic accident is 50% for drivers and front-seat passengers in post-accident fatalities, and 75% for rear-seat passengers; it can reach up to 77% in post-accident injuries.”
“Rear-seat passengers must also wear seatbelts”
Dr. Rüştü Uçan explained that if there are passengers traveling in the rear seat, it is not enough for only the driver and front-seat passenger to wear seatbelts. He provided the following information:
“It is mandatory for rear-seat passengers to also wear seatbelts. In the event of an accident, rear-seat passengers will move uncontrollably towards the driver and front passenger in front of them, causing harm to themselves and to those in the front seat. According to 2022 traffic accident data; 5,229 people lost their lives and 288,696 people were injured in traffic accidents in our country. As a result of 197,261 fatal and injury-involved traffic accidents in Turkey in 2022, 2,282 people died at the scene of the accident, and 2,947 people who were injured and referred to health institutions subsequently lost their lives within 30 days due to the cause and effect of the accident.
To better understand these numbers in concrete terms, as many people as live in an average-sized district in our country lose their lives in traffic accidents every year. The populations of our provinces Kırıkkale, Erzincan, Bilecik, and Yalova are equivalent to the number of people injured in traffic accidents each year.”
Özgür Şener: “Prevents drivers and passengers from being ejected from the vehicle”
Özgür Şener, Lecturer in the Occupational Health and Safety Department and Road and Traffic Safety Consultant, also stated in his remarks that all efforts are focused on preventing traffic accidents, and continued:
“However, even if the number of fatal and injury-involved traffic accidents remains the same, seatbelt use alone will lead to a very significant reduction in deaths and injuries.
Why are seatbelts so important? They keep occupants fixed inside the cabin and in their seats. This ensures full protection from airbags, which are present in many vehicles today. They prevent drivers and passengers from being ejected from the vehicle. They ensure a gradual reduction in the impact sustained by the body during a collision. They direct the impact force occurring during an accident to the strongest points of the body structure. They ensure that the impact force is distributed throughout the body instead of concentrating at a single point. They prevent ejection from the seat during an impact/collision. They protect the head and spinal cord, where sensitive and vital organs are located, by preventing them from hitting any surface.”
Seatbelts should be checked when buying a used vehicle
Şener noted that before fastening the seatbelt, one must ensure there is no twisting in the belt. “After fastening the seatbelt, the slack should be removed, and full contact with the body should be ensured. For full contact, especially in winter, coats, jackets, and blazers should be removed during travel, and the seatbelt should be worn in that manner. To prevent neck injury, the seatbelt should not touch the neck but rest over the shoulder. If an accident has occurred and the seatbelts were deployed, they should be replaced. If a used vehicle is being purchased, the seatbelts should be checked. Seatbelts must be used without exception in all public transport where they are present, especially in intercity buses.”
“In European countries, child deaths in accidents are 2%, while in Turkey, this figure reaches 40%”
Özgür Şener, Road and Traffic Safety Consultant, emphasized that seatbelt and appropriate booster seat use is also crucial for ensuring the safe travel of babies and children, and concluded his remarks as follows:
“According to World Health Organization data, in a study of 0-14 age group fatalities in accidents, child deaths in accidents are 2% in European countries that mandate and enforce child car seats, while in Turkey, this figure reaches 40%. For children shorter than 150 cm and under 36 kg, the presence and use of a child car seat are mandatory. Children over 135 cm can sit in the rear seat with a seatbelt, provided they are not in the front seat. For children outside these criteria, a baby or child car seat suitable for their physical characteristics should be selected and used without exception on every journey. If the vehicle's structure is suitable, child car seats that are fixed to the vehicle's body should be preferred. If there is no feature for fixing to the vehicle's body, they should be properly secured to the vehicle seat with a seatbelt.
The travel safety of children is the responsibility of their parents. Children cannot choose not to sit in a child car seat or not to use a seatbelt for any reason. Seatbelt use is not a choice but a necessity. You might need it just once in your life, and at that moment, it will protect your life.”
