Driving with a big coat on? Not a smart move!

At a glance

Keeping a thick coat on in the car can be a safety risk. \ Here's why...

Wearing a thick coat in the car can be a risk to your safety.
Here's why...

Brrrr... I'm keeping my coat on!

When it's cold, many drivers and passengers keep their winter coat, ski jacket, padded jacket or other bulky anorak on when getting into the vehicle, especially when it hasn't had time to warm up or doesn't have heated seats or cushions.
The same goes for children sitting in the back seats or placed in a child car seat.
The seatbelt is then fastened over the thick winter coat.

A less effective seatbelt

According to experts (including the Vias Institute), this doesn't seem like a good idea, because in that case the belt will be less tight, which reduces its protective effect due to the gap between the body and the outside of the winter garment.
In the event of an impact, such as a head-on collision, the body will therefore be less well held and restrained by the belt, which loses much of its effectiveness.
The same applies to babies placed in a child car seat, who may be less well secured if the belt is fastened over their thick padded coat.

On top of that, for the driver, wearing a bulky coat can restrict their movements when manoeuvring.

The solution?

For the driver: wear warm clothing that lets you do without a coat while driving the vehicle.

For passengers: the same as for the driver, plus you could use the coat as a blanket, over the belt.

For babies and young children sitting in a child car seat: protect them with a small blanket over the belt, or put their arms through the sleeves of their coat turned inside out/backwards so the coat acts as a blanket for them.
They can of course keep their hat on!