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C omm i tme n t
19
Safety
Once again about
Safety Belts...
According to psychologists, personal
safety is one of basic human needs.
Why then do people drive cars so
carelessly? Drivers know well the
dangers of car crashes. However, some
continue to ignore safety belts and even
fasten them behind seat backs to avoid
warning signals. Why do they so often
neglect such reliable means of
protection?
Analysing the causes of such negligence
stated by drivers, it is hard to say what
prevails here — logic or emotions. One
should judge for oneself. Below are
some types of drivers grouped
according to similarity of their
responses.
Deluded ones:
Such drivers are afraid
that, if their car catches fire in case of
a car crash, they will not be able to
escape from the car if their safety belts
are fastened. This argument is only
seemingly convincing. As a matter of
fact, only those who lose consciousness
due to an impact usually die in a car on
fire. As a rule, a fire starts when
a traffic accident is fatal when the
probability of getting seriously injured is
especially high. In this situation,
a fastened safety belt raises a driver’s
chances to stay conscious and,
consequently, to get out of the car on
his or her own.
Air-mongers:
They consider
themselves to be so strong as to be able
to withstand even the kinetic energy of
a moving car. «I do not need a safety
belt because I am very strong, and, in
case of a car crash, I will just lean
against the steering wheel,» so they
argue with touching simplicity, trying to
support their challenge thrown to
forces of nature. However, even if one
drives at the speed of 25 kilometres per
hour and hits a hard obstacle, the body
of the driver is thrown out of the car by
a force five times higher than his or her
own weight. If the speed is 50 km/h,
the force will amount to one tonne.
Ignorant ones:
«I drive only in the city
at a low speed, so I do not need a safety
belt,» say drivers of this type. They
underestimate the possible effects of
a car crash, considering the speed of
driving in a city insignificant. Is that so?
Will they risk jumping from the third
floor of a building onto the pavement?
If the answer is «no,» let them know
that the effects of such a jump will be
equal to the severity of a collision at
a speed of 50 km/h without wearing
a safety belt. If the answer is «yes,» no
arguments will work. Go ahead and
jump off.
Super-optimists:
«We are experienced
drivers; we do not violate the road
safety rules and do not cause critical
situations on the road. We have nothing
to be afraid of, they say. OK, but they
should not forget that they may
become victims of a traffic accident
through no fault of their own. An
experienced driver is capable of
foreseeing danger and avoiding it, but
not at all times. Therefore, less is more,
even in case of optimism.
Conservatives:
Generally, they do not
mind safety belts but cannot get used
to them. Well, in order to get adjusted
to new shoes, for example, one should
wear them for a while, feeling a little
uncomfortable, not because the shoes
are bad but because of the adjustment
process. After we get adjusted to the
new shoes, we do not want to part with
them until the sole falls off. The same
goes for the safety belt. Just try it.
Freedom seekers:
«I will not allow
others to instruct me and to restrict my
freedom!» this statement belongs to
the representatives of another group of
drivers, who do not wish to limit their
freedom by using a safety belt. But
where does this lead to? Leaving
a safety belt unfastened, they receive
some more freedom of movement but
their lives become dependent on
arbitrary circumstances. Is such
substitution worth it?
Suppose you have ignored the signal
that the safety belt is not fastened or
you have fastened the belt behind the
seat back, irritated by the signal.
A trouble occurs, and you hit the side of
a car that suddenly appears on the road.
The airbag is activated, and you smash
it with your face. As you wear no safety
belt, after you hit the airbag with you
face, you will rebound with the back of
your head against the car roof. In most
cases, this may result in a fracture of
one’s neck vertebrae. Hence, the
irritating squeak in the car, signifying
not only that the safety belt needs to be
fastened, but rather that the airbag will
NOT work if the belt is neglected. Listen
attentively to what your car sings to
you. Airbags are specially designed to
work together with safety belts and do
not preclude the necessity of their use.
что ремень не пристегнут, или он вам
надоел, и вы застегнули его за спинкой
сиденья. Случилась неприятность,
и вы ударились в бок внезапно выско-
чившей машины. Сработала подушка,
и вы со всего размаха летите лицом
в нее. Но после удара о подушку,
поскольку ремня на вас нет, вас рико-
шетом отбрасывает вверх макушкой
головы в крышу. В большинстве случаев
это грозит переломом шейных позвон-
ков.
Именно поэтому во многих машинах
раздается противный писк, который
не столько напоминает нам, что нужно
пристегиваться, сколько сообщает, что
подушка НЕ раскроется, если человек
не пристегнут. Внимательно прислу-
шайтесь к тому, что вам поет ваша
машина. Подушки безопасности разра-
ботаны специально, чтобы работать
вместе с ремнями безопасности
и ни в коем случае не исключают
необходимость их использования.
Мы нарочно избегаем выражения «при-
стегнуться ремнем», потому что в нем
также могут скрываться причины анти-
патии. Для некоторых это выражение
звучит, как аналогия словам «привя-
заться, заковать себя в цепь», словом,
лишить свободы, ограничить. «Быть
пристегнутым» похоже на «быть беспо-
мощным, не способным защитить
себя», то есть по смыслу полная проти-
воположность тому, что представляет
собой ремень безопасности на самом
деле.
Доверьтесь этому простому и надеж-
ному устройству, оно вам поможет
в тяжелую минуту!
(Подготовлено по материалам сайта
Управления ГИБДД Красноярского
края)
Совсем недавно наш сотрудник
Евгений Лысаков, менеджер
по аренде силовых установок, чуть
не стал жертвой «человеческого фак-
тора» — в его машину на полном ходу
врезался автомобиль, за рулем кото-
рого сидел нетрезвый водитель.
Евгений абсолютно уверен, что его
жизнь спасло то, что он был пристег-
нут ремнями безопасности.