Seat belts obligation, regulation and penalties

Seat belts what they are and what they are for
Seat belts are one of the most important devices in the field of automotive safety. It is in fact these that allow you to hold the body in the event of an impact by limiting the damage that can result. Its function is to avoid the impact of the driver and passengers against the internal structures of the passenger compartment and to prevent the body from being thrown out of the vehicle.

Origin and history

The seat belt was invented in the late 1800s by the English engineer George Cayley to keep pilots inside their gliders. The first seat belts were patented in New York in 1885 by the American Edward J. Claghorn to protect tourists from taxis in New York City. Installed aboard a vehicle in 1903 by the Canadian Gustave Desirè Lebeau who had called them safety braces, it was necessary to wait until the mid-thirties to arrive to arouse the interest of car manufacturers. However, racing car drivers were the first to use seat belts to protect themselves from damage. In 1948 the first car with standard seat belts was built. It was the Tucker Torpedo, an innovative car from an aesthetic, mechanical and safety point of view. But perhaps this very competitive innovation with regard to other car manufacturers led very soon to the closure of the factory due to legal and political problems. However, the real revolution in seat belts occurred in 1958 when the Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seat belt. Until then the belts were only two points and fastened on the body with the buckle located above the abdomen. The recognition of the seat belt fitted as standard on cars goes to Volvo, where Bohlin worked, and who became the first manufacturer to equip his cars with seat belts. However, the real revolution in seat belts occurred in 1958 when the Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seat belt. Until then the belts were only two points and fastened on the body with the buckle located above the abdomen. The recognition of the seat belt fitted as standard on cars goes to Volvo, where Bohlin worked, and who became the first manufacturer to equip his cars with seat belts. However, the real revolution in seat belts occurred in 1958 when the Swedish engineer Nils Bohlin invented the three-point seat belt. Until then the belts were only two points and fastened on the body with the buckle located above the abdomen. The recognition of the seat belt fitted as standard on cars goes to Volvo, where Bohlin worked, and who became the first manufacturer to equip his cars with seat belts. please visit for a service London airport taxi service

Seat belt requirement

The first country that made seat belts mandatory was Czechoslovakia in 1969 followed by France in 1973. In the United States the first country to make them mandatory was Massachusetts in 1975. As for Italy, the attacks were made mandatory in as of June 15, 1976, while seatbelts with the obligation to use the front seats became mandatory in 1988. As of July 30, 2010, this obligation also applies to minicars, trucks, buses and any vehicle with belts.

How belts are made

The seat belts are made up of different components and must be provided with the approval mark in compliance with the regulations of the Ministry of Transport. They are made up of belts , consisting of a weave of interwoven polymeric threads, a rewinder that allows you to unwind the belt according to the desired length, a regulator that allows you to adjust the belt in height, an oscillating steel ring with a cover in plastic that allows the attachment of the belt, a closing tab that serves to facilitate fastening, a buckletied to the vehicle's anchor point and equipped with a button to attach or release the belt, and the pretensioner is a device that is used to tension the belt in the event of a collision. As already mentioned above, all the belts must be approved and comply with the regulations of the Ministry of Transport and more precisely they must include the distinctive number of the homologation status, the homologation number of the European Economic Community, the ECE-UN homologation number and the indication of the production status, i.e. where the belt was built.

Vehicle categories with belt requirement

From 14 April 2006 with the legislative decree of 13 March 2006, n. 150, there is the obligation of safety belts for drivers and passengers of the following categories of vehicles:

M1 vehicles for the transport of people with a maximum of eight seats in addition to the driver's seat;
M2 and M3 for vehicles with more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat;
N1, N2, N3 for vehicles reserved for freight transport;
L6e the so-called minicars.

Statement

Article 172 of the Highway Code establishes the obligation to use seat belts for drivers and passengers on both the front and rear seats and child restraint systems. For children of less than 1.50 m in height, it is necessary to use approved restraint systems that are suitable for their weight. Children under three years of age cannot travel on cars without restraint systems, while those older and taller than 1.50 meters can travel in the front seat. For taxi transport or chauffeur-driven cars there are exceptions regarding children who can travel without restraint systems only in the rear seat and accompanied by a person aged 16 or under.

Exemptions

There are categories of subjects who are exempt from the obligation to use seat belts and restraint systems for children: the municipal police, the police force, the armed forces, the fire service personnel and the emergency health workers, the driving instructors and drivers of vehicles assigned to collect and transport waste in urban centers. Passengers in cars not originally provided with belt attachments and historic cars registered before 15.6.1976 are also exempted from the use of seat belts. To these categories are also added some subjects whose use of the belt is not mandatory. These are people with different pathologies and pregnant women with particular problems.

Sanctions

Failure to use the seat belt entails a penalty ranging from € 81.00 to € 326.00 with the reduction of five points from the driving license. The suspension of the same follows for a period ranging from 15 days to two months if the same driver has made himself responsible for the same infringement within two years. In the event that a passenger does not have a belt, the fine will be raised to the passenger only with an amount ranging from € 81.00 to € 326.00. If the non-compliance concerns a minor, the fine will be raised to the parent or whoever supervised it. Furthermore, the same penalties are foreseen in case of use of non-approved belts or tampered with safety belts. In the latter case, the fine ranges from € 40.00 to € 63.00 with the reduction of five points from the driving license.

We always recommend that you fasten your seat belts before starting to drive the vehicle even if it is short-lived. The driver who allows passengers to travel without adequate safety restraints or belts is held liable for any physical damage. It also responds in the event that there is a minor passenger who travels in the car without a person in charge of its surveillance. more article https://altaelvaa.blogspot.com/