In the year of 1970 Australia with a population of 12.5mil, was battling a growing road toll.
In twelve months alone 3,798 people lost their lives with thousands more maimed and injured. Tragically the state of Victoria led the national road toll with 1061 fatalities or 28 per cent of the Australian total.
By way of comparison the 1970 road toll equates to 30.4 deaths per 100,000 people.
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Today the Australian road toll is 4.9 per deaths per 100,000 people; which is a remarkable achievement and commensurate reduction in injury and death.
How was this achieved?
It is a little-known fact that in 1970 Victoria was the first state in Australia to mandate the installation and wearing of seat belts.
This initiative was brought about by concerned parties and associations; leading the charge was Dr. John Birrell, Victoria’s police surgeon who was appalled by the growing carnage on our roads; along with the precursor of the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) and the Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV).
In the late 1960’s this group lobbied the Victorian state government, led by Liberal Premier Sir Henry Bolte, to introduce a law making the installation and wearing of seat belts (initially front seats only) mandatory.
In December 1970, Victoria passed legislation requiring drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seat belts.
Other states soon followed Victoria’s lead and by 1972 seat belt wearing was mandatory nationwide, making Australia the first country on earth to do so.
Trend changes
There is no doubt that the mandated introduction of seat belts in Australia was the single biggest factor to reducing the road toll and continues to be so.
Over the next 55 years the push for improved occupant safety led by manufacturers, authorities and the motoring public has seen a great number of innovations.
This includes but is not limited to:
- seat belts,
- pre-tensioning seat belts,
- airbags (front, side, knee, curtain),
- crumple zones, safety glass,
- laminated glass,
- head rests,
- collapsible steering columns,
- disk brakes,
- radial tyres,
- better lighting,
- side intrusion bars,
- shock absorbent bumper bars,
- suspension improvements,
- anti-lock braking system,
- traction control system,
- brake assist,
- lane departure warning,
- autonomous emergency braking,
- forward collision warning,
- adaptive cruise control,
- blind spot monitoring,
- rear cross traffic alert,
- traffic sign recognition and
- driver attention monitoring.
Maintenance of the aforementioned safety systems is critical however, in our experience seat belts are often overlooked.
Repairs
The most common failure is fraying of the webbing. If the webbing is frayed, or has nicks and cuts, is crusty from dirt, wear and tear it must be replaced.
Worn webbing adversely affects the seatbelt’s ability to sustain the huge loads experienced in an accident.
In this situation Restraint Technology’s re-webbing service can assist. Simply remove the affected seat belt from the vehicle and send to us.
We will remove the old webbing and install new ADR approved webbing. We ensure that all sews exceed the ADR standard for seat belts and label our work to show that the webbing complies to the Australian Standards for seat belt webbing which is AS1753.
Other checks should include the seat belt buckle.
Specifically, the tongue (chrome clip with the square hole in it that inserted into the buckle) must clip into the buckle firmly without excessive movement and it should forcefully eject once the red press release button is pushed.
If not, replace the buckle and inspect the tongue for damage. If damaged, replace the seat belt as well.
Keeping connected
All ADR approved seat belts must lock if the webbing is pulled out rapidly.
Webbing extraction is easy to check.
Retractors must also lock if rotated in any direction away from their angle of installation. Checking for angle sensitively is more challenging than checking for webbing extraction and if you believe a seat belt is not locking as it should please call us to discuss.
Most modern vehicles are equipped with airbags.
These vehicles are almost always fitted with explosive or pyrotechnic seat belts that are designed to explode and pull tight (pretension) in an accident; and position the occupant correctly in their seat prior to airbags inflating.
Any fault in the pretensioner will typically trigger a warning light or message on the dashboard. If this occurs the vehicle must be taken to the manufacturers service dealership to check the fault and replace if required.
Seat belts have come a long way since Victoria led the world with their mandatory introduction in 1970.
Modern seatbelt systems are highly engineered and must be maintained with the same diligence as brakes, tyres, and other critical components. If you come across worn or damaged belts, don’t leave safety to chance — have them inspected and, if needed, re-webbed or replaced.
At Restraint Technology, we’re proud to help workshops keep Australia’s vehicles roadworthy and its occupants safe.
If you need a seat belt rewebbed or
simply have a seat belt question
please contact:
Address: Unit 14, 52/50 Malvern St, Bayswater VIC 3153.
Phone: (03) 9729 1988