Safety belt button, a small toy but a huge social problem

The business of selling safety belt button booming. Photo provided by Beijing Youth Daily

By Zhao Hongyi

A seat belt button is becoming popular in China, but for the wrong reasons, experts warn.

This button, which is cheap for drivers to install, can be activated to override a vehicle’s safety belt alarm, disabling that nagging beep that doesn’t go away until the driver has fastened his or her seat beltThe button is designed for all types of vehicles and is sleek in design. At the famous Xiaowuji vehicles spare parts market on East Fourth Ring Road, nearly all outlets sell these buttons. “We have plenty of types and designs,” a seller said, “and can sell dozens each week.”On Taobao, nearly 30,000 types are listed, ranging from those costing less than 1 yuan to more than 100 yuan. One seller noted that while drivers should usually wear their seat belt, sometimes it gets annoying to have to do so, especially when stuck in traffic.

All the buttons are manufactured in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province and Guangdong Province.

Comment

Traffic jam nuisance

In big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, traffic jams have been causing headaches for two decades. It’s boring to be strapped in your car while stuck in traffic and waiting for green lights. Why should we have to use belts all the time?–Yang Lin, Beijing office worker

Safety comes first

Safety is the priority! Car manufacturers provide you the tools and equipment to minimize harm in accidents, but why do we constantly refuse them? Laziness is not a good reason.

–Netizen, bbs.sohu.com

Creative idea

China is such an amazing country. You can find anything you can imagine, and even some things you can’t. Chinese people dare to produce anything. The safety button is actually a creative idea, though it doesn’t abide by trfic regulations.

–Mohamud Ali Sekratunga, student from Sri Lanka

Self-restraint

An individual and a society should have self-restraint and realize what is good and what is bad. The same applies to those who do business – follow the principles and ideas of discipline and morality.                       – Jimmy Kingstad, engineer, Beijing