Get Safety belts -> Frontal collisions and laws of physics Guide for Volkswagen Passat SUV Sixth Generation (2005-2010)

The safety belt warning lightꢀcomes on for 6 seconds when the ignition is switched on. A warning

chime also sounds for up to 6 seconds if the driver's safety belt is not buckled. The chime stops

sooner if the driver buckles his or her safety belt. The warning light and the chime go out when both

driver and front passenger have bucked their safety belts.

If the driver and front seat passenger do not both fasten their safety belts within about 24 seconds

after the chime stops and the vehicle is moving at a speed of more than about 15 mph (25 km/h), the

chime will again sound for about 6 seconds, then go off for about 24 seconds, then sound again for

about another 6 seconds. The same thing happens if one of the safety belts is fastened and then

unfastened while the vehicle is moving. The safety belt warning light ꢀ also flashes. The warning

chime continues to sound at 24 second intervals for up to 2 minutes. No chime sounds at speeds of

less than about 5 mph (8 km/h).

If the ignition is switched on, the safety belt warning light _ªstays on until the driver and front

passenger have both buckled their safety belts.

WARNING

Not wearing a safety belt or wearing an improperly positioned safety belt increases the risk of

severe personal injury or death. Safety belts offer optimum protection only when used

correctly.

Frontal collisions and laws of physics

Fig. 70 A vehicle with passengers not wearing safety belts approaches a wall.

Fig. 71 A vehicle with passengers not wearing safety belts hits a wall.

ꢀPlease first read and note the introductory information and heed the WARNINGS

The physical principles of a frontal collision are simple. Both the moving vehicle and the passenger

possess energy ⇒ꢀfig. 70, which varies with vehicle speed and body weight. Engineers call this energy

“kinetic energy.”

The higher the speed of the vehicle and the greater the vehicle's weight, the more energy has to be

“absorbed” in a crash.

Vehicle speed is the most significant factor. If your speed doubles (for example, from 15 mph to

30 mph - 25 km/h to 50 km/h), the energy increases 4 times!

Because the occupants of the vehicle in the above example are not using safety belts, they are not

“attached” to the vehicle. In a frontal collision, they will keep moving at the same speed the vehicle

was moving just before the crash, until something stops them - here, the inside of the passenger

compartment. Because the occupants of the vehicle in the example are not wearing safety belts, their

entire kinetic energy will be absorbed by impact with the wall ⇒ꢀfig. 71.

The same principles apply to people in a vehicle that is in a frontal collision on the highway. Even at

city speeds of 20–30 mph (30–50 km/h), the forces acting on the body can reach one ton (2,000 lbs or

1,000 kg) or more. At greater speeds, these forces are even higher.

Of course, the laws of physics don't apply just to frontal collisions; they determine what happens in all

kinds of accidents and collisions.

What happens to passengers not wearing a safety belt

Fig. 72 The unbelted driver is thrown forward.

Fig. 73 Unbelted passengers in the rear seats are thrown forward on top of the belted driver.

Safety belts -> Frontal collisions and laws of physics for Your Volkswagen Passat SUV Sixth Generation (2005-2010)