Opinion: How to make wearing seat belt a habit

No sooner had the tragic news of Cyrus Mistry’s demise broken that we had everyone pontificating the use of rear seatbelts. Rightfully so, but in reality, it’s seldom practised, including by the same people encouraging its use. Hormazd even observed that right after Mistry’s funeral, those in attendance got into their chauffeur-driven cars and NOT ONE belted up at the rear. Tragic. So how do we go about making this a habit? Seatbelt reminders will go a long way, but there are those who will still bypass this, and then there are some who mean to wear them, but forget or wrongly believe it’s only above a certain speed. So here are three tips I think can help remedy this.

Force of habit

As the Mercedes belt-slide demonstrator proves, even in a very low impact speed (15kph), a passenger can be thrown forward with a force exceeding whatever bracing they can muster with their hands and feet. So buckle up, always!

Sometimes at home, my wife and I have to shuffle around our parked cars. Even then we both wear our seatbelts, and it’s now second nature and created a habit so ingrained that even a small car movement actually feels weird without the secure grip of the belt across. And that’s ultimately the goal, you should immediately feel the need to belt up.

Carry Sanitiser

When you find yourself in someone else’s car or a taxi, more often than not the rear seatbelt buckles will be tucked away under the seat. I really hate that, as it means digging into a grimy recess and I have to remind myself that six-feet under is far dirtier still. Post COVID-19, I now always have a sanitiser on hand, so with no second thoughts I dig in and retrieve the belt buckle. Pro tip: it’s likely the belts have not been worn in a while and, in some cabs, they are thus dusty under the surface. So check, and if required, wipe them before you run the belt across your nice clean clothes, even if it means using your bare palm. Remember, it’s dirtier buried underground.

Don’t Feel Bad

At times you may have passengers in the rear who are your acquaintances, and in case they haven’t put on the seatbelt, it can be awkward asking them to do so. But please do, it’s as much for your safety too. In a crash, an unbelted rear passenger can collide with the front seatback, causing it to move forward considerably, and thus, resulting in high-impact loads for the front occupants as well. Head impacts can also arise, which can also prove fatal. And also, by this same logic, make sure you belt up or securely store all cabin luggage. The bike team here has a term ATGATT – all the gear, all the time. And in a car too, I think it should be ATBATT – all the belts all the time.

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