KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 30 — Passenger vehicle manufacturers will have to install three-point seatbelts instead of lapbelts under a new ruling by the Transport Ministry starting January 1.
The New Straits Times reported that lapbelts, normally found in the centre rear seat of a car and express buses will be banned from being installed and manufacturers who do not comply will have their vehicles declared “not roadworthy”.
The new standard will be included in the Vehicle Type Approval Permit.
Studies have proven that even though lapbelts can save passengers from being thrown out of the vehicle in an accident, the pressure it puts on the human body can cause serious injury or death.
Road Transport Department automotive engineering director Datuk Mohamad Dalib said that crash impact tests show the need for lapbelts to be replaced with three-point seatbelts.
“The risks associating with lapbelts include severing the lower torso and causing serious injuries to women [who] have had a Caesarean section,” he reportedly said.
Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research research officer Yahaya Ahmad said that unlike lapbelts, the three-point seatbelt distributes the “impact load” during an accident while limiting violent body movements and minimising abdominal pressure.
Lapbelts on the other hand focus the concentration of the pressure at the abdominal area, which can cause serious injuries.
This can cause contusions to the abdominal wall, kidney and bladder damage, rupture of the mesenteries, small intestines, bladder, aorta, spleen and uterus.
Other cases include fractured ribs, pelvis and lumbar vertebra as well as intra-abdominal injuries and paralysis.
“We adopted the United Nation Vehicle Regulations R14 and R16 (related to seatbelts), which were incorporated in the Road Transport Rules (construction and use) 1959 in 2007 and 2011.
“This means that by right, passenger vehicles built from 2012 onwards should not have the lapbelt... We have given industry players a lot of time to prepare.
“Car manufactured from January that are still fitted with the lapbelt will be considered not roadworthy and we will not approve its VTA,” Mohamad Dalib reportedly said.
However, owners of passenger vehicles with lapbelts will not be forced to make the switch as it was not possible to retrofit the vehicles without comprimising its structural strength.
Mohamad Dalib said the department will allow these vehicles to retain the lapbelts until they are phased out.
