Learn about seatbelt and airbag safety

Seatbelt safety

Seatbelts are designed to absorb energy and hold the people inside the vehicle. This helps to reduce the risk of injury.

When you wear your seatbelt:

• the shoulder belt section should cross between your shoulder and neck and rest across the middle of your chest; and
• the lap belt section should fit snugly over your hips.

Wearing your shoulder belt under your arm, instead of over your shoulder, could cause severe injury or death in a collision.

Wearing a seatbelt properly:

• can reduce the risk of death by up to 71%; and
• will keep you in the vehicle during a collision.

You must wear a seatbelt

All drivers and passengers are required to wear seatbelts in Yukon.

Airbag safety

Airbags inflate in high-speed collisions to absorb energy. This can help reduce the risk of anyone getting injured.

You can take these actions to help prevent injury if there's a collision:

• Do not rest your feet on the dashboard. Resting your feet on the dash will injure you when the airbag inflates.
• Keep your hands to the sides of the wheel, rather than reaching across it. This will help you avoid injury if the steering wheel airbag deploys.
• Only install a seat cover that's certified as compatible with airbags.
• Sit at least 25 centimetres from the steering wheel. This way, if the airbag deploys, it will cushion rather than injure you.
• Do not sleep resting against a window – when the side curtain airbag deploys it may injure you.
• Replace an airbag right away if it has deployed or is broken.

Children and airbags

Never place an infant or child near an active airbag.

Refer to your vehicle’s owner manual to learn more about:

• proper child seating locations; and
• the occupant restraint system.

Anytime you install a car seat, refer to the car seat and vehicle manuals to see how the seat will interact with airbags.

These manuals will tell you where you can safely place your child and their seat.