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4 Point Harness

A 4 point harness is commonly used in high speed, often racing, vehicles to give protection to the rider and co-passengers when the vehicle is in motion. These harnesses designed so that they can give an increased level of protection to the driver and the other people in the vehicle.

As the name suggests, these harnesses have four points that attach to a device at the center, which lies at the abdomen of the wearer. Two of the straps come from the back and over the shoulders, while the other two come from the sides of the thighs.

Unlike other normal harnesses, two straps of the 4 point harnesses – those that come from behind the back – are attached directly to the rear of the seat. The other two are attached at the bottom of the seat.

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The 4 point harness is a design that is usually attributed to the Ford motor company because it is believed that they were instrumental in planning this design. However, this belief is not substantiated with enough evidence.

The four point harness is considered to be an improvement over the standard 2 point and 3 point harnesses. The 2 point harnesses are the most commonly found in vehicles today. These are commonly known as seatbelts. The 3 point harnesses are also fairly common.

However, the 4 point harnesses are used mostly in racing vehicles where the speeds are very high and the danger of the passenger or the driver being flung from the street is very real. At extremely high speeds, a 2 or 3 point harness will not be able to protect the person fully. They might snap and the person may still be in danger of serious injury. That is the reason the 4 point harness is preferred. Pictures of four point harnesses are shown below.

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4 and 5 Point Racing Harnesses

Today, however, more sophisticated harnesses are also available. There are 5 point racing harnesses too (pictures highlighted at the bottom of the page), in which there is an additional strap that comes from between the legs and connects to the locking device on the abdomen. Another version, the 6 point harness, is also available. All these higher grades of 4, 5 and 6 point racing harnesses are designed for racing cars, and are particularly popular with the Camaro.

Most of these harnesses are made of high grade synthetic materials such as nylon. Nylon is considered to be a very strong material for four point harnesses because it is elastic, which does not allow it to snap easily and it can also bear a very heavy degree of pressure. Nylon can also be easily colored with various shades, which is quite apt with the overall colorful appearances of racing cars.

4 point harnesses are costlier than normal harnesses that are used in vehicles and that is quite understandable, looking at their make and the protection that they provide. These harnesses are sold at near $100 and above. You might get cheaper prices for them on the Internet, but it is very important to go for a high quality harness in order to ensure that they do not snap or break away when negotiating a difficult curve at a high speed. Used harnesses are available on the Internet, but they are not recommended because of the potential wear and tear that they might have possibly gone through.