How To Remove a Stuck Seat Belt in an Emergency?
You must have seen several car crash scenes in movies, where the driver is trying to escape the upended burning car, but their seatbelt prevents them from moving. While the seatbelt is designed to keep you safe at all times, it can be the very thing that keeps you from wiggling your way out of the wreckage — even in real life. While nobody would want to be stuck inside an upside-down car after an accident, it is better to know how to remove a stuck seat belt. This blog discusses how you can do so.
Methods To Remove a Stuck Seat Belt in an Emergency
Although we have mentioned a car accident in which your vehicle rolls over, there can be other emergencies in which your seat belt might get stuck. Let’s look at different scenarios, and how you can free up the seat belt in them.
1. Seat belt gets auto locked
Seat belts have an auto-locking mechanism that engages when it senses impact or instant deceleration. The mechanism prevents the spool from releasing the belt any further, in order to protect the wearer from getting thrown forward. Sometimes, if you yank your seat belt hard, it might engage the auto lock. You can push the seat belt in by a few inches and try unlocking it. Normally, this allows the seat belt’s auto lock to disengage, allowing you to free yourself and run out of the car if needed.
2. Tangled or folded seat belt
Another common problem most motorists face with seat belts is when they get tangled or folded. Manufacturers use polyester for the seat belts, and it is made up of thousands of tiny threads woven together. Although polyester gives them increased durability and strength, it might become a problem for you if your seat belt gets tangled.
Mostly, it gets tangled or stuck at the point where it protrudes from the door panel. To fix it, you might have to pull or twist the belt until it is in the correct position. Once you can easily pull on the seat belt, try to see whether it retracts or not. If the seat belt is badly stuck or won’t budge, a seat belt cutter always comes in handy, especially in emergencies. Make sure to buy and keep a seat belt cutter in your car, as you might not find it anywhere else.
3. Faulty or jammed mechanism
The seat belt mechanism contains a retractor, which is responsible for the belt to slide in or out of the door panel. Over time, the retractor accumulates dust, dirt, food crumbs and other particles, which causes it to get jammed, which means that you might not be able to unlock or retract the seat belt, especially during an emergency. It might prevent you from putting the seat belt back in place, and it can get stuck around your neck or on your feet, increasing the chances of an injury. In such a situation, you might need a seat belt cutter to cut yourself loose. If it isn’t an emergency, you will have to take your car to the mechanic to get it fixed.
This brings us to the end of our blog on removing a stuck seat belt during an emergency. Although a stuck seat belt can cause you inconvenience during an accident or other incident, you should always wear your seatbelt to avoid serious injury. Thankfully, today’s modern cars have seat belt reminder systems, which remind you to wear your seat belts at all times.