Perceived Risks and Injuries Associated with Non-Use of the Manual Lap Belt in Motorized Shoulder Belt Restraint Systems

Abstract

An experiment was conducted in order to explore some of the perceived risks associated with automatic shoulder belt/manual lap belt restraint systems used without buckling the manual lap belt. Participants viewed videotaped clips that combined sequences of a person entering a car and using or not using the active component of the restraint system followed by an accident. Participants were then asked to estimate the severity of injury likely suffered by a person who was involved in that accident given the seat belt use they viewed. Participants did not perceive large differences in injury severity between scenarios when the manual lap belt was used and when it was not used. Additionally, participants seemed relatively unaware of the risks of submarining and ejection when the manual lap belt was not used.