The main object of this study was to identify injuries caused by seat-belts. The data discussed in this report were obtained by means of 185 case studies undertaken country-wide over a period of one year, involving 408 vehicle occupants. Of the 1,271 injuries identified, 52 (about 4 percent) were caused by seat-belts. Of this total 21 (about 1.5 percent) were caused by seat-belts which were worn correctly, while 31 injuries were caused by seat-belts which were worn too loosely. In order to establish the distribution of injuries, occupants of vehicles were categorised according to an international seven-point injury scale (AIS). From the results it is clear that occupants who wear their seat-belts correctly are likely to sustain less severe injuries than those who wear them too loosely or not at all. It can, therefore, be concluded that seat-belts worn correctly offer better protection than those worn either too loosely or not at all. The fear of some people of being injured by their seat-belts is not justified as in our sample seat-belts worn properly produced less than 2 percent of all injuries. In the study no injuries could be ascribed to seat-belts in accidents involving fire and water. It would appear that approximately 5 percent of seat-belts used failed in accidents due to various reasons, e.g. old seat-belts and too high speed. However, in certain cases even belts that failed offered some protection.
Abstract