Wearing Your Seat Belt Correctly

Seat belts are secondary safety devices. They are designed to prevent injury and fatality in the event of a motor vehicle collision, by:

• Preventing a passenger from being ejected from the vehicle during impact
• Spreading physical forces of a crash across the strongest part of the human body, such as hips and shoulders
• Prevention injury to other occupants in the vehicle from an unbelted passenger

Seat belts are only as effective ass they are used correctly. Wearing a seat belt correctly can reduce the risk of death and injury by 60%. Seat belts are also designed to work in collaboration with airbags. For the seat belt to be effective, worn correctly, seat belts must be buckled, snug, with the lap belt flat on the lap, and the shoulder belt crossing between the shoulder and neck. When worn correctly, seat belts help distribute crash forces across strongest parts of your body. This protects you from severe injury, death, and from being ejected from the vehicle during a crash. For women who are pregnant, please see how to correctly wear a seat belt throughout pregnancy.

---

Correct

• Lap belt is flat on lap
• Shoulder belt crosses between the shoulder and neck
• Belt is flat and snug against the body

---

Not Correct

• Twisted belt

---

Not Correct

• Lap belt on stomach
• Shoulder belt against the neck

---

Not Correct

• Shoulder belt under arm

---

References

Facts about Seat belt use. (2025, January 31). Seat Belts. https://www.cdc.gov/seat-belts/facts/index.html

Kahane, C. J. (2017). Fatality reduction by seat belts in the center rear seat and comparison of occupants’ relative fatality risk at various seating positions (p. 77) [NHTSA Technical Report]. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812369.pdf

---

Back to Seat Belts