Common Types of Vehicle Restraint Systems

Vehicle restraint systems are the safety features in a car that help protect you during a crash by keeping your body from moving too much or hitting hard surfaces.  Some of the common restraint and safety systems are:

• Seat Belts – Hold you in place and prevent you from being thrown forward or ejected from the vehicle in the event of a sudden stop or crash.  They spread the force of a crash across stronger parts of your body (like your chest and hips).
• Airbags – Protect your head and chest from hitting hard non-moving objects like the steering wheel and dashboard or doors.  They work directly with the seatbelts not instead of them.
• Head Restraints (Headrests) – They help to prevent neck injuries and from your head from snapping back during rear-end collisions.
• Pretensioners and Load Limiters – They are designed to tighten a seatbelt instantly and allow little give to reduce pressure on areas such as your chest.
• Collapsible Steering Columns – Prevent the steering wheel from being forced into the driver and absorb some of the crash energy.  Upon impact, they are designed to collapse inward like a telescope.

Why Restraint Systems are Important

At the time of impact, these systems all work together to slow your body down safely, reduce impact forces and prevent serious injuries.  Without these systems in place, your body would keep moving forward or back at a high rate of speed even if the vehicle stops suddenly.  After a crash, depending on the collision and circumstances, one or more of these systems may be deployed and need to be replaced.  Today, vehicles are often equipped with sensors which will monitor and notify if there is a problem.

At Parsons Auto Body, our team will run pre-repair and post-repair scans on your vehicle so our technicians know when one of these systems needs attention and then address the problem.  Our goal is to make sure you are safe and feel safe getting back into your vehicle when the repair is complete.  Comfort in this area increases when you trust the repair shop and quality of work.  We are here to provide that to our customers.  We care about your repair, we care about your safety…we care about you.