MIROS: 30% of people in accidents were using a dummy seatbelt buckle

Jason · Jul 5, 2021 11:00 AM

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Picture this, you get in your car, start it, and drive off. A few seconds in, there's a chime, or bong that is rather annoying, accompanied by a flashing red symbol on your instrument panel. That's right, you forgot to wear your seatbelt.

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The seatbelt warning logo looks like this.
Photo credit

You do what every normal human being would do in this scenario: you buckle up. Right? Apparently not. There are people out there (not you reading this, I hope) that deem the seatbelt a luxury they can do without, but they want to get rid of the aforementioned chime/bong. What do they do then?

A solution, for dummies

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I have witnessed two solutions to ridding the seat belt reminder. One, the driver buckles the seatbelt first, then gets on the seat, meaning the seatbelt is now behind the driver. Not comfortable enough, you say? 

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Easily available

A quick search through e-commerce platforms will return a plethora of seatbelt 'dummy' buckles. What is that you say? It is the seatbelt buckle you find in cars, minus the seatbelt itself. And you can buy one for as low as RM 5. With this, you can trick your seatbelt reminder to think that you've buckled up, when you really haven't. 

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By now, any right-minded person would be thinking, "Why on earth would you buy such a thing?!" But a research by Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) show that, out of 326 participants, 12.9 percent (42 persons) have used one of these dummy buckles. That's alarming to say the least. 

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Worst still, out of 1,000 road accident cases that they investigated from 2017 until last year, 30 percent of the drivers and passengers were not wearing seat belts, but were using the dummy buckle instead.

Also readHow to survive a car crash? Don't be stupid with your seatbelts

How is it so easy to buy one?

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Dr Khairil Anwar Abu Kassim. Photo credit: Berita Harian

The most galling aspect of this is that these dummy buckles are so easy to procure. Which then begs the question: Are the authorities not aware of this device? Surely they are. If so, then why are there no steps to ban the sale of such devices?

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From my understanding, MIROS has already made recommendations to ban the sale of such items, so why is the Road Transport Department (JPJ) turning a blind eye, on such a pressing matter? Lives are at stake here. 

In case the forces that be still do not know how serious this is, just take a look at the video below. Bear in mind, these are simulated tests, in a controlled environment. Out on the real world, it could be a lot worse.  

I cannot reinforce this statement enough. The seatbelt dummy buckle should be made illegal, to buy or to sell. It's time the authorities do something about the sale of these items, and do it quick. 

Also readMIROS: Ban the sales of dangerous car accessories

Is it really that hard to buckle up?

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I'm sure you have seen cases of road accidents where occupants in the car get thrown out. I can say with absolute certainty that this is because the occupants weren't wearing their seat belts. Why take that risk? Wearing your seat belt takes no longer than ten seconds.

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Is your life really worth RM 5 only? Seat belts work in conjunction with airbags to save you. What good are airbags in your car when you do not give it chance to do its job?

Can you imagine, carmakers spend a fortune on developing safety systems to better protect occupants. All this time, money and effort only to be undone by a refusal to wear seatbelts, and a RM 5 device. Madness.

Conclusion

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My greatest hope is that we, as a community and resposible road users, continue to make informed, wise decisions regarding this matter. If you come across people you know using/selling this dummy device, call them out. 

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If you see e-commerce vendors platforms selling these, you can choose not to support them, or even report it. I am sure when nobody buys these things, the sale will also stop. 

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If you cannot even fathom the importance of wearing a seatbelt, well then you really don't deserve a driving license, and the privilege of owning a car. Come on people, we're better than that.

Jason

Road Test Editor

Jason's foremost passion is all things automotive, where he spent his formative working years as a Product Planner and Trainer. An Advanced Driving Instructor by training and an all-round enthusiast, Jason loves going into intricate details about driving dynamics. Will drive anything with 4 wheels and a steering.

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