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This story is from September 5, 2022

Cyrus Mistry accident highlights seat belt importance: How belting up can save your life

Prominent Indian businessman Cyrus Mistry passed away yesterday in a car crash. He was reportedly not wearing a seatbelt and we wonder if his life could have been saved had he decided to belt up.
Cyrus Mistry accident highlights seat belt importance: How belting up can save your life
Cyrus Mistry was involved in a car crash and passed away
The news of Cyrus Mistry passing away came as a shock to many across the country. The former Chairman of Tata Group was travelling from Ahmedabad to Mumbai along with three other people when his car hit a divider on the highway. Mistry died on the spot and another passenger also lost his life while on his way to the hospital while the people in the front row were severely injured.
While we are deeply saddened by the untimely loss of Mistry, it has to be noted that the two people who passed away in the accident were not wearing seatbelts.
He was travelling in a Mercedes-Benz GLC SUV, a vehicle that comes with many safety features. It was also reported that while the curtain airbags were deployed they did not prove to be enough to save the two lives in this case. Combined with the safety of the seatbelts and the deployment of the airbags, the two passengers at the back would potentially have not only survived the crash but also sustained fewer injuries than those in the front as it was a frontal collision.
By law, it is mandatory for all occupants seated inside a car to wear seat belts. However, enforcement of the same when it comes to people sitting in the second row is often relaxed. Most are not even aware of the existence of the rule and think that it is only the driver and co-passenger who have to wear a seatbelt to avoid a fine. This unfortunate incident reminds us of the need to not only follow the law but to also do what would ensure our safety while travelling by car.
This case reminds me of another incident where a prominent public figure lost their life due to not wearing a seatbelt. Diana, Princess of Wales also died at a relatively young age of 36. She was travelling in her armoured Mercedes-Benz S280 when the driver lost control of the car and hit a pillar. Just like Cyrus, Princess Diana was also in the second row of the car and was not wearing her seatbelt. She suffered serious internal injuries that finally took her life despite many attempts to save her.
The modern seatbelt we see in cars was first introduced by Volvo in the late 1950s. The Swedish carmaker held the patent for this new technology but decided to not hold a monopoly over it and helped democratise the technology. In case of a collision, the occupants tend to get thrown off their seats and crash against the dashboard, front seats or any other surface in the car. A seat belt ensures that one does not get thrown around too and greatly reduces the risk of serious injuries.

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There are various types of seat belts but the most common one is the three-point seat belt seen in most cars today. The Volvo PV 544 was offered with three-point seat belts in 1959 and was the first car to do so. Three-point seat belts are safer than two-point seat belts, also known as lap belts. While the lap belt leaves room for the upper half of the body to jerk violently in a crash, the three-point seat belt spreads the load more evenly and reduces movement.
Modern seat belts also come with pretensioners that gauge the force with which the belt is pulled and limits its extension. They also come with load limiters that let the belt slack a little bit so as not to exert too much force on the body. Furthermore, there are more innovations being made in this field in the form of seat belts that inflate in case of a collision. The seat belt then acts like a smaller airbag and reduces the chance of weaker bones getting crushed by the pressure from the impact. It is especially helpful for children and people of older age.
Police officials reported that the car was potentially overspeeding when it went out of control and hit the divider. In a recent report released by the National Crime Records Bureau, overspeeding resulted in more than half of the deaths in road accidents in the year 2021.
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About the Author
Aakash S. Paul

Aakash loves automobiles as much as he loves capturing their beauty in the most unique way possible. Fast motorcycles make his heart beat faster and when not indulging with a car or bike, he can be found getting lost in the world of tech.

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