Effects of seat belts and injuries resulting from improper use.

A survey was made of car crashes in Japan of injuries to seat belt users compared to nonusers. The purpose of the study was to clarify the relationship between the types of injuries and the way the belts were used at the time of the crash. Eight hundred individuals were involved in the study. The data indicate that those using seat belts sustained less severe injury than nonusers. Of the belted occupants who were seriously injured or killed, it appears that their injuries were due to improper placement of the seat belts on the anatomy. In some situations the precrash position of the occupant allowed him to submarine beneath the belt system, allowing the belt to ride up on the soft belly wall.