A seat belt is a strap that protects a car's occupants during an accident. The seat belt or safety belt is designed to keep a person in their seat. This prevents them from being thrown from the car or hitting the windscreen in a collision or during heavy braking. Having properly functioning seat belts is therefore essential. Research has even shown that wearing a good safety belt reduces the risk of a fatal accident by 30 to 40%. So, is your seat belt no longer working properly or is it broken? Replace it immediately!
Types of seat belts
There are different types of seat belts. For example, there are 2-point belts, 3-point belts and 4-point belts. A 2-point belt is a belt that is only fastened around the waist. There is no part of this belt that goes from the shoulder to the hip. The 2-point belt is mainly found in older cars. Nowadays, standard car models have a 3-point belt. A 3-point belt does have a section from the hip to the shoulder. These are safer than the 2-point belts. In addition, there is also the 4-point belt and the five, six or seven-point belts. These are mainly used in racing cars. You will find these belts in our sports belts category.
There is also a difference between a static safety belt and an automatic seat belt. An automatic seat belt locks when the tension on the belt is released.
Replacing a seat belt
If the seat belt in your car is defective or not working properly, you will need to replace it. If the car fails its inspection because of the belt, you will also need to replace it. Having the belt replaced at a garage can be very expensive. Sometimes more than ?300. As you can see on our site, you can buy a new seat belt for a few tens. If you replace the seat belt yourself, you will save a lot of money.
Is the seat belt too short? Then you can extend it with a so-called seat belt extender. You insert the belt extender into the belt receiver, which makes it longer. Laws and regulations may vary by country. Please check the laws and regulations applicable in your country.
Buying a seat belt
Buying a seat belt is quick and easy at Winparts. But you can also come to us for other products for your car. Think of armrests, car seat covers, steering wheel covers, cushions and belt covers.