It's a matter of safety!!

[TrailLeadr]

How many of you wear your seat belt?

My father is so stubborn. He just won't do it. I always explain that if I get stopped I'm the one who will get fined while he's in my vehicle not wearing a seatbelt. His response, "I'll give you the money for the fine."

Yeah...Thanks:mad:

[Steve]

I know people that forget to put it on, and some that don't like to wear it. Myself, I've been in some big wrecks that someone could have been killed if it weren't for a seatbelt.

I actually met someone a few years ago, my age nonetheless, that said they would rather be "thrown clear" of a wreck than to say in the vehicle. As if you can be gently lifted up at 60 MPH and float down to the ground.

[TrailLeadr]

There's only a small percentage of people who get thrown clear and survive compared to those who get thrown from the vehicle and still die.
That's kind of my father's position, is he feels he'd be one of the lucky ones to be thrown clear, and survive.

They don't realize you may not be getting thrown into favorable conditions. Like into oncoming traffic for instance.

[Cableguy]

I always wear mine. Cuz it seems like I'm always at work in the van.

Cable industry story:

Speaking of being belted in. At work I've always been trained to belt off to utility strand when my ladder is set up, but putting a ladder on a flat wall they want us to belt into ladder rung. They tell us if the ladder starts to slip out to ride ladder to the ground...I still haven't subscribed to this theory yet. I guess I'm a jumper if it starts to fall.:eek:

[84fiero123]

I rarely wear it just because when I first left high school I was an ambulance driver for 2 months and saw 3 people burned to death when they paniced and couldn’t get the belt off.

I do wear it when my daughter is in the car, but then I carry my leatherman everywhere with me so in that type of situation I could cut myself and my daughter out if need be.

But then I may be as old as Steve’s dad. It’s tough teaching an old dog new tricks.

[MD4x4 Fireman]

i wear it except when i am at the firehouse but i do when its practical. I have seen a few accidents where if the person didnt have a seatbelt they would have died.

[Davandy]

I have to wear it, it's the law :slap:

[Rumpamuro]

same here, although my family has a history of bad backs, so my dad, mom, and me and my sister have conditional notes saying we dont have to wear it, my dad, never, mom, always, sister always, ,me, usually, but only because of that goddam chime.

[Bonzai01]

Jeez... a gazillion drag racers and circle guys can't be all wrong. I've been thrown clear (motorcycle), CLEAR across the highway into the ditch with crushed left foot and ankle. My thing is I don't lock the car doors while driving, in case someone has to get in to pull me out (you know, like the cops on tv, screaming GET ON THE GROUND!! GET ON THE GROUND!!!) oops, wrong example, that was last week. Hey Cable, I am a jumper too, THEY can ride 'er down...I am outta there LOL!!!! Kerry

[lawson4450]

i wear it whether im in my personal vehicle in the ambulance or in the fire truck i had a head on collision with someone i was driving the ambulance and the person came over the double yellow and hit me i was able to swerve a little bit he almost ripped the corner of the box completely off the ambulance and i walked away i saw i pulled my left leg back at the last second covered with glass my partner in back didnt have a belt on and got tossed to the front of the rig thankfully he was ok we were only doing like 20 miles perhour.
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q281/lawson4450/A58accident004.jpg
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q281/lawson4450/A58accident003.jpg
http://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q281/lawson4450/A58accident001.jpg

[dwill3015]

My cousin works for the SLC Sheriff's Dept. and sent this to me to share with my 16 year old who recently got his license.



You are about to view some extremely graphic pictures- don't say you weren't warned. Consider those who first responded to the accident. NOT EMS or THE POLICE, the BYSTANDERS who saw something horrific and tried to help.



The Orange County Register

Nicole Catsouras, 18, of Ladera Ranch was killed Tuesday afternoon when her black Porsche 911 Carrera clipped a Honda she was trying to pass on the right at more than 100 mph on the Eastern (241) Toll Road, the California Highway Patrol said. Catsouras was driving southbound near Alton Parkway when she suddenly switched lanes and lost control of the Porsche, CHP officials said, and then cut across the center median, careened across several lanes of traffic and crashed into a tollbooth. The 20-year-old driver of the Honda was taken to a local hospital and treated for minor injuries. The cause of the accident is under investigation.





How are they going to get the victim out?
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/dwill3015/wreck3.jpg







Gasoline, transmission and engine oil, windshield washer fluid, radiator coolant, brake fluid.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/dwill3015/wreck4.jpg


Bodily fluids.
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/dwill3015/wreck5.jpg


Think there will be an open or closed casket?
http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y296/dwill3015/wreck6.jpg







MAYBE NOW YOU WILL THINK TWICE BEFORE DRIVING LIKE AN IDIOT....THIS COULD BE YOU, SOMEONE YOU LOVE OR A STRANGER.

[Cableguy]

Believe me when I tell you this is a world wide problem. I drive all day long and the aggressive driving is definitely on the increase. Even the average driver in an average car going no friggin' place in particular, acting like a complete a$$ and endangering lives. They don't even think twice. Look at Jeff Gordon he was a whiny little brat, until he got a good taste of the wall...suddenly he's a man that respects the car. Go figure. I hope nobody is offended by Darcy's post. Myself, people need a reality check. Your driving to the store for groceries, man. Slow down, pick the appropriate lane, relax, belt up and have respect for other vehicles. Arrive alive! There's no place for BS on the the roads. Take it to the track, tough guy!

WTG Darcy! Wake up North America! Penialize drivers/operators not the car!

[dwill3015]

Slow down, pick the appropriate lane, relax, belt up and have respect for other vehicles. Arrive alive! There's no place for BS on the the roads. Take it to the track, tough guy!

WTG Darcy! Wake up North America! Penialize drivers/operators not the car!

You summed it all up right there!:great:

[buffle]

Never wore one, never will. My choice, my right. nuff said

[04Trailblazermom]

Seatbelts are the law in Maryland. Everyone I know wears it. But now that I'm in Florida, it's a totally different story. It's the law, but sadly not enforced. Since moving here, there is newsstory after newsstory about people who have lost their lives because they weren't wearing their seatbelt..... especially high school kids. I used to hate wearing it and even got a ticket for it, but now I feel naked without it. It really does save lives.

[redbarron]

I was in a big truck CRASH & BURN about 9 years ago. If I was not belted in I wouldn't be here now.Also I was a wrecker driver for about 1 1/2 years I witness a lot of accidents that were complete totals. and the drivers and passengers walked 98% percent of the time when belted in.

[Illmatic]

I work with airbags and their sensors all day. If you don't wear your seatbelt, and your car has airbags, you will die in a bad accident. The bags will blow and snap your neck or worse. Airbags are not to be used without seatbelts. Those that want to be "thrown clear" are retarded (or soon will be). Seatbelts will save your life almost all the time. Those select few accidents that you're better off being ejected are not a good enough reason. Sorry to get on my soapbox, no flaming intended. Just want to warn people, cause I like getting good feedback from all of you... I need you around to respond to my stupid questions.
:-)
MW

[surfin_phil]

My brother in law jumped in the car to just run down the road for a coffee. Who needs a seat belt for that, right? Some woman ran into him, smashing him into a pole, he got tossed all over the car.
Result, Brain Injury, long term disability, often confused, memory loss, not good.
Always where my seat belt since then

[fyrecap478]

:rules: I have not been a frequent visitor here, but wish to enter an opinion on this topic;

Having been a "Firefighter/EMT-I" for 30 years, and being the Captain of an Engine Company that covered a 20 mile stretch of Interstate 35 running North and South in Central Oklahoma. I can assure you that after all this time, "SEAT BELTS" Save lives! How they save lives is simple;

"Properly Worn" restraints keep the occupants IN the Vehicle, there by removing 95% (ninety-five) of the chance of the occupants, being Run- over/Rolled-over by the Vehicle. Sadly, some people are killed while wearing a Seat Belt. We Humans, have yet to create anything that is "Always / Fail proof" Sadly spoken.

The reality most fail/never get to see, "NEARLY EVERYONE" of the single/multi-vehicle Accidents I worked where the occupant(s) where thrown from the vehicle:
The OCCUPANT DIED!!!

There were cases where they were just thrown around in the vehicle but remained inside and died.
Some were lucky and still live with the terror, but they are ALIVE due to staying in the vehicle.

In closing I like the ODDS of staying in the vehicle, and having a 90% survival
Rate, versus 95% DEATH Rate during a "Rollover/Flip Accident.

Not Wearing your "seat belt is Illegal" in every state state I know of, across America.

" Click It ", we can't collect on the Ticket if Your "DEAD"! :great:
LYNNEKA

[Cableguy]

:rules: I have not been a frequent visitor here, but wish to enter an opinion on this topic;

Having been a "Firefighter/EMT-I" for 30 years, and being the Captain of an Engine Company that covered a 20 mile stretch of Interstate 35 running North and South in Central Oklahoma. I can assure you that after all this time, "SEAT BELTS" Save lives! How they save lives is simple;

"Properly Worn" restraints keep the occupants IN the Vehicle, there by removing 95% (ninety-five) of the chance of the occupants, being Run- over/Rolled-over by the Vehicle. Sadly, some people are killed while wearing a Seat Belt. We Humans, have yet to create anything that is "Always / Fail proof" Sadly spoken.

The reality most fail/never get to see, "NEARLY EVERYONE" of the single/multi-vehicle Accidents I worked where the occupant(s) where thrown from the vehicle:
The OCCUPANT DIED!!!

There were cases where they were just thrown around in the vehicle but remained inside and died.
Some were lucky and still live with the terror, but they are ALIVE due to staying in the vehicle.

In closing I like the ODDS of staying in the vehicle, and having a 90% survival
Rate, versus 95% DEATH Rate during a "Rollover/Flip Accident.

Not Wearing your "seat belt is Illegal" in every state state I know of, across America.

" Click It ", we can't collect on the Ticket if Your "DEAD"! :great:
LYNNEKA

God bless the work you do. We have a few here sounding off. Feel free to post in there.
http://www.gmtruckclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6615

[woocha]

Ever since I went almost throught the Wind shield, I have always worn my seatbelt. Uncomfortable, tight, restricting; I don't care. I wear it!

[jbaniaga]

I always wear mine. Although, I must admit that there are times that my kids have to remind me after starting the car.

[Cableguy]

I always wear mine. Although, I must admit that there are times that my kids have to remind me after starting the car.

Good for you! Thats great, ya got to the kids early. We're human, we forget.:great:

[Big6ft6]

This is a topic that really bugs me. Of course stupidity in general bugs me. I always wear my seatbelt, it takes about .03 seconds to put on and makes a HUGE difference. I'm so accustomed to it that I feel "naked" if I start driving and don't feel the strap holding me in.

The excuses I've heard are blatent bilboards for ignorance. Wether it is "I don't want to burn up if I'm in a fire" to "I can't breathe". Anybody with half of a brain understands that when making decisions you play the odds and the odds that you'd be in one of those mythical situations where the seatblet acutally hurts you? C'mon.

Here is my sales pitch. "invest .03 seconds of your time and you can reduce your chances of injury by a HUGE amount in almost every type of accident that exists."

I gaurantee if you look at the statics, you'll find the number of times people die BECUASE of the seatbelt, it is almost negligable! The people who survive because of seatbelts is STAGGERING. So come on bubba..show me your skills..which is better?

I've come on too many accidents at even just 30mph where people without seatbelts get their faces deformed in the windshield and the passenger with the seatbelt walks away and goes home that night that I just can't see how it is worth it.

Getting thrown clear?? You have to be joking!!! I'd love to see those statistics too. Someone show me that passing through a windshield at 60 mph, hope you hit nothing while flying, and hope you land somehwere soft is the best chance of surviving an accient and I'll give up my new suburban!

Basically it comes down to this. 99.999% of the time you are better off wearing a seatbelt..so if you chose the 0.001% option..you're just advertising your stupidity to the rest of the world.

I flipped my car, and it tumbled three times, twice end over end, and the seatblet kept me in the car and I walked away. I can't count the number of times I hear in the news that somebody died in a roll-over accident becuase they were tossed from the vehicle and rolled on by the car. In the same amount of time I havn't heard a single story about someone who died in a roll-over becuase they DID where a seatbelt.

It doesn't bother me if someone else doesn't wear their seatbelt, it IS their right, just like it is their right to shoot themselves, but it DOES bother me when they don't buckle their kids in. Kids count on their parents to show them how to be smart, if a parent can't provide that, the kid is pretty much F*cked.

Mabye the people who can't figure it out are best left without their seatbelts, it will speed up evolution.

[WestCoastColy]

I always wear my seatbelt no matter what. I even feel naked when I'm riding my motorcycle! :redface:

[rwhitbeck]

The last time that I did not wear a seat belt when in a vehicle was back in '87 shortly after the State of Michigan started enforcing seat belt laws...the only reason I didn't wear one then is because I had a '62 BelAir that was not equipped! I joined the military in '87 and I have been wearing seat belts ever since...even in the back seat.

[Gregsyellorado]

I have mixed emotions on this, I know they can help, but they also can hurt. I had a freind at work get into a wreck earlier this year, and if he would have had it on he wouldn't have been hurt as bad, but on the other hand my brother had a wreck several years ago and if he would have had his on he wouldn't be here today. I wear mine, but only because it is the law, and I hate to pay a $150.00 dollar fine, but I also feel it is a invasion of my privacy.

[Mcontrols]

I buckle up 99.44/100% of the time and require my passangers too as well.

MC

[zieg72]

Indiana just made the law that pickups had to wear them now. Up until a month ago it was optional. I am not going to get a ticket over it so no biggie either way. A long time ago my father got in a T-bone situation that if he had not have slid over because he was not wearing a seat belt he might not be here now. With the blow up possibilities on the outward mounted tanks on the 73-87 series on a side impact I used not to because of a perceived quick exit just in case. My $.02

[xtremelumina92]

I don't even have to think about it, it's like second nature

[njnavy07]

i've been a volunteer firefighter for 2 years and in that short time i have seen quite a few accidents in which seatbelts saved the driver and passengers life. i have also sadly witnessed the consequences of not wearing a seatbelt, and have been to funerals of those who didn't.

[tinfoil_hat]

Allright I'll add my $.02 to the discussion. First bad wreck I was in I was the passanger in a Civic. Five car pile up on the freeway. All the cars were doing maybe 65 when they hit. I don't know how many people were in those five cars but there was not one singe injury. All the occupants of all five cars were wearing their seatbelts. Second bad wreck I was driving my Saturn with my soon to be wife in the passanger seat. An old woman turned left in front of us and I T-boned her Toyota at 45 mph. No one was hurt. Everyone was wearing their seatbelt. Ive been in a dozen crashes driving in the woods when I was a teenager. Even though we were young and wreckless we all wore our seatbelts. The worst injury was one girl whose right breast got bruised black and blue from the shoulder belt :rolleyes: . I will confess to driving without a belt when hunting in the woods...however, the truck never goes over 15 mph. Any faster and everyone buckles up.
Oh and BTW write me down for the ladder-jumper club. 14 year carpenter here.

[jpgoodnu]

I agree in MOST situations wearing a seatbelt is safer( many people have been hurt worse or killed because of the seatbelt) and many lives have been saved, BUT THE DECISION WHETHER TO WEAR OR NOT SHOULD BE MADE BY ONLY THE INDIVIDUAL(assuming a adult of sound mind). ALL OF THE INTRUSIVE LAWS(HELMET,SEATBELT,TRANSFAT,UNLOADED GUN STORAGE) HAVE NOTHING,NOTHING,NOTHING TO DO WITH GENUINE CONCERN FOR ANYONES SAFETY, THAY HAVE ALL BEEN DRIVEN BY THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR. The insurance companies wish to maximize their profits and minimize their costs and liabilities from medical costs for their subscribers and forced subsides of uninsured. I AM ABSOULUTELY AMAZED BY THE NUMBER OD ALLEDGED FREE AMERICANS WHO WILLINGLY MARCH INTO FORMATION TO BE INSTRUCTED AND RULED AS IF WE ARE INEPT 4 YEAR OLDS WHO CAN'T THINK FOR OURSELVES. What's next folks? REst assured this is just the beginning of a steady stream of restrictions on ANY activity with a mderate or greater statistic of injury, can anyone say rollerblading,mountain biking, red maet consumption? Laugh all you want, think bakc just 1 or 2 years and who would have believed a ban on FDA approved food, and yet we already have a steadily growing ban on TRANS FAT. Well my feet are sore from standing on my Soap Box. Just remember what a very wise man(Ben Franklin) once said "Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety"!

[Will Penner]

I haven't had any seat belts in the semi,s that I drove in a good part of
my early years, but always wear them in my van or my wifes car.
I worked in investigations in Detroit , Ontario and Sask.an seen lots accidents
that they were not used , what a mess. I will always wear mine thank you.
Will

[lawson4450]

well i can add this as well one year ago yesterday my wife was driving her 2005 equinox and got rearended by a fed ex truck going at least 35 miles per hour and she walked away with a minor bruise on her left shoulder truck cause almost 10 grand in damage to the car and she walked away. in the past year i was to a motorcycle accident where the guy had a helmet but it was one of the small clamshell style of helmets got him to the hospital alive and he died 2 weeks later cause it didnt fit him properly and give him enough coverage. like said before we havent made fool proof safety systems yet but they are trying and if the government didnt make them do this stuff do you think having 10000 people a yr killed on the highways would be tolerated in this sue happy day and age i dont think so. Your right it probably should be up to the person wether they wear it or not and people should use common sense just like they use common sense when they talk on the phone while driving a stick shift, or try texting a message while traveling at a high rate of speed or one of my favorites i was driving down the hiway passing someone and they had a large book on the steering wheel while driving at 70 miles per hour. hello common sense is not argument anymore cuz people have displayed again and again they dont have any just look at the darwin awards for more examples.

[TrailLeadr]

I have to agree with Lawson. I'm not sure what the percentage is, but it seems there are a great number of people out there who either don't have any common sense, or just chose not to use any.

To a degree there is some truth to the idea that the insurance companies are looking to tie up loose ends, and have got the gov't backing them.

But, on a daily basis I'm sure you run across people that make you shake your head, and say "what were they thinking?" There are more people out there like that, than you know. It's a case of not just one bad apple spoiling the bunch, but the majority of them are bad apples.

Yes, people should have the right to choose, but as Lawson pointed out, half, if not more of the people when given the right to choose, are not equipped to make an intelligent choices based on the facts.
My daughter is a fine example of this very line of thought, as are most teenagers (not all). She, and many of her friends go through their teen years with a sense of "That could never happen to me" Despite the fact that earlier this year two of her school mates were killed in two separate car accidents.

Let's take a different perspective, from the insurance company conspiracy.


We can all agree that emergency services in most areas maybe have semi-decent coverage.
We should also be able to agree that the amount of drivers on the road as exploded exponentially since the 70's when a seat belt was more of a novelty in a vehicle rather than a safety feature.
The speed at which people drive these days, and the power provided by todays engines far exceeds those of days past, where again seat belts were not required.
It should also be safe to say that based on all this information the number of accidents, be it a fatal accident, or fender bender(regardless of seat belts being worn) has also gone up in number as well.Based on that information alone, and the fact that it is well known that many drivers do not exercise common sense when behind the wheel, it would seriously over-burden the emergency services in many places if the accidents that people could walk away from had they worn a seat belt, turned out to be near-fatal, or fatal injuries, because they opted not to wear the seat belt, for whatever reason they have.

Maybe the laws for the seat belts are motivated by the insurance companies, but it's not all that one sided. Besides that how much money is spent on emergency services when they need to report to an accident where someone is near-fatally injured vs just bruised up?
Budget expenses for your town's emergency services translate into higher taxes for you.

I'll stick with seat belts.

[lawson4450]

saw this in another forum today there was an accident on the nj turnpike on like thur or friday and look what it says
i got more info from a turnpike person that was on scene.
17 year old and 21 year old in the viper, doing over 130mph when the driver lost control and hit the tractor trailer at 3:53 am. both kids were ejected. the car ended up backed into the center guardrail, and the truck ran over both kids, and the car before ending up on top of the center guardrail, with the cab upside down on the passenger side in the car lanes.
17 year old killed on impact, 21 year old not expected to live. truck driver got minor cuts and bruises.
they are still not sure who was driving the car.

[NHSilverado]

Add me to the group who refuses to wear them. I have major issues with it being forced on me #1( I would like to personally pound on whoever came up with the idea of the seat belt chime and making it so you can't push the seat belt receptacles down out of the way - really ticks me off the way the chime dings all the time and you can't stuff those things out of the way )and #2 I actually DO have problems when wearing them. Contrary to a gentleman's post earlier claiming it is BS when people say they can't breathe wearing them that IS true for some. I am one of those.

It is almost as if I have a panic attack. I have trouble breathing, I break out in a sweat, and I can't concentrate on driving. I feel like I am being strangled. I also struggle with confined spaces( ie; claustrophobia )and I believe having the seat belt on is an extentsion of that. This is not some BS excuse I am coming up with it is fact folks. I absolutely freak out with a seat belt on. That is probably why I feel so strongly it should be our choice and not forced on us.

It is far more dangerous for people to ride a Motorcycle without a helmet or the way you see young girls riding on the back in a swimsuit and no shoes. IMO if they are going to let people ride without a helmet than there is now ay in hades I am wearing that GD seat belt.

Thankfully the NH state senate recently killed a mandatory seat belt law. To buckle up or not should be the individual's choice not something that is forced on them by legislators and insurance companies.

[lawson4450]

oh yeah here is another one last year on the border of watchung and north plainfield truck driver with a broken door used a bungi cord to keep it closed got into an accident on rt 22 no seatbelt the door opened just enough i guess he got tossed and ran himself over with his own truck i know there are very very few times no seatbelt is good but from what ive seen its better to wear it. as matter of fact several firefighters were killed this year because of not wearing seatbelts and being tossed from trucks in accidents go to www.firefightersclosecalls.com and just look it up you can see for yourself.

[redbarron]

I crashed and burned a big truck 8 years ago,If not for seat belt keeping me in my seat during rollover I would not be here. All so I have driven a wrecker and towed many accident vehicles,When seat belts were used there were very few serious injuries.

[Cableguy]

I crashed and burned a big truck 8 years ago,If not for seat belt keeping me in my seat during rollover I would not be here.

Yikes! I take it you were not injured?

[TrailLeadr]

Aside of being funny to watch, these are the people who are on the road with us everyday, that make it a necessity for the gov't to mandate seatbelts. (and there's no shortage of these people around!)

http://onemansblog.com/2007/02/07/10-worst-drivers-ever-caught-on-video/

[axlman]

I just feel naked if I don't wear mine!

[unplugged]

BMW has come up with a motorcycle design, the CityScooter (http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/bmw/bmw-c-1-cityscooter-13940.html) that incorporates a roll cage and a seat belt. Can you imagine a Harley version of something like this? Albeit a bit goofy looking, I'd like to take it for a spin anyway. Let's face it one can take safety to extremes, but I think seatbelts and airbags are good ideas.
http://www.motorcycle.com/images/content/Event/c1-7t.jpg

[JeffW]

so i bought a new deck to put in my truck and had to buy the 100 gm harness for the saftey chimes and stuff, they dont work, if im not buckled all that happens is on my odometer it says buckle seatbelt. but i usually put it on so i dont get a fine :(

[Pyro81]

I always wear mine. About the only time i don't is when i'm moving my vehicle to a different spot in the immidiate area. And even then i feel weird for not having it on.

About 6-8 months ago my friends wife fell asleep at the wheel after working the night shift at the hospital. She rearended the pickup she was driving into another vehicle. She was not wearing her seatbelt. You know that ball-and-socket joint in your hip? Well, when she flew forward her feet hit the firewall. And the ball was pushed through the backside of the socket in one of her hips. She got off lucky with just that. It could of been so much worse.

[Steve]

BMW has come up with a motorcycle design, the CityScooter (http://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/bmw/bmw-c-1-cityscooter-13940.html) that incorporates a roll cage and a seat belt. Can you imagine a Harley version of something like this? Albeit a bit goofy looking, I'd like to take it for a spin anyway. Let's face it one can take safety to extremes, but I think seatbelts and airbags are good ideas.
http://www.motorcycle.com/images/content/Event/c1-7t.jpg

That actually looks like it could be fun, just as long as it's got enough HP to compensate for that extra weight of the rollover cage, etc.

[Big6ft6]

I always wear mine. About the only time i don't is when i'm moving my vehicle to a different spot in the immidiate area. And even then i feel weird for not having it on.

About 6-8 months ago my friends wife fell asleep at the wheel after working the night shift at the hospital. She rearended the pickup she was driving into another vehicle. She was not wearing her seatbelt. You know that ball-and-socket joint in your hip? Well, when she flew forward her feet hit the firewall. And the ball was pushed through the backside of the socket in one of her hips. She got off lucky with just that. It could of been so much worse.

It sounds like the whole "flying through the windshield is the safest option" didn't work out so well in this case. Of course, if she would've been wearing her seatbelt she would've been trapped as the car burned to the ground right? At least this way, she was able to leap out of the car before she burned to death...oh wait...she probably wasn't leaping anywhere to quick with her femur pushed out the back of her pelvis.

I don't mean to make light of somebodies elses misery but those excuses above are things I ACTUALLY HEAR from people...hopefully she is now a HUGE advocate of seatbelts...how she wasn't before after working in a hospital is hard to understand, but now she has no excuse. I hope the people who use the excuses I used sarcastically above, read your story, maybe it will save at least one other person, or their child, fromt the same misery.

[ecombe]

SEAT BELTS! SEAT BELTS! SEAT BELTS!

Myself, my wife and 3 kids ALWAYS wear our seatbelts. As others have mentioned here, I also feel uncomfortable without it on.

I started wearing mine religiously about 20 yrs ago when I was the first witness on the scene of a single compact truck accident on the interstate - 2 persons in the cab and 1 in the bed of the truck. No seatbelts were worn; people were thrown from the vehicle - no survivors.

A few years later my soon-to-be wife was in an accident where she came up over a hill on the interstate and the traffic in front of her had come to a complete stop (road construction). She rear-ended a car at ~45MPH. She was carried away with a broken sternum from the impact of the seat-belt (which she admits she wasn't wearing properly at the time). I know that if she had not been wearing a seat belt, she would not be here today.

My kids are so accustomed to wearing a seat belt that on the rare occasion I forget to slip mine on - they're the first to remind me. We always check each other when we get into the vehicle.

Look at the statistics...I don't mind a friendly wager on a sports game now and then, however I don't gamble with mine or my family's lives.

[mrtaylorwv]

I lost my great grandmother in an accident on July 4th 1972. She was riding in the front passenger seat of a 1968 Olds Delta 88 with her lap belt on. My grandmother was in the back seat right behind her. They were t-boned at an intersection by an 18-wheeler. My grandmother was thrown clear and walked away with a broken arm and some bruises and some minor cuts from flying glass. My great grandmother, however, was pinned under the wreckage by her seat belt. She died later that day from massive internal injuries. I was bitter for a long time after that and refused to wear a seat belt. I held out until it became mandatory by law. Since then, I have become so accustomed to the seat belt it is just a natural reflex to pull the belt around when I start the vehicle. I've seen time after time people who were spared life-threatening injuries because of seat belts and other safety devices. I am convinced now that my grandmother's tragic accident was the exception and not the rule.

[trucknkid]

I remeber has a kid seatbelts were a option if you could or wanted them in your ride, has a biker I hate helmets but will wear em on long rides, luckly for me being a City Driver I have the option of not wearing belts and choose not too, if I hit someone in a Big City truck I'm not feeling it anyway! so 4wheelers stay away from my Plow in the winter, I might decide to have a bad day!

[omegafiler]

It's really more of a habit for me. I don't really think about it... I just don't go anywhere without the seatbelt on. Probably from spirited driving in the past - the seat belt helps keep you in the seat. :)

[dflahe]

my son always made us put on our belts.. then after Feb 2001, I have a new mantra....
"Dale could see the Finish Line'...So if he had belts on and didn't survive, how will I survive?? So it's every time now, we buckle up...

[Will Penner]

I remeber has a kid seatbelts were a option if you could or wanted them in your ride, has a biker I hate helmets but will wear em on long rides, luckly for me being a City Driver I have the option of not wearing belts and choose not too, if I hit someone in a Big City truck I'm not feeling it anyway! so 4wheelers stay away from my Plow in the winter, I might decide to have a bad day!

Hi All being retired I'm in and out a lot this time of year. I to am from
that generation also and remember not having to wear seat belts. A childs
seat and I still have it , the seat had two arms and it hooked over the
top of the seat . Sounds darn scary now. Will Penner

[BurbStone]

I guess I have been doing it for so long now, it is just second nature. Besides, the cops will charge over $100 now and deduct points from the licence.

[JMoney02]

This one for the books, we could debate this with some real good input, quality suggestions, stories about our lives, our up bringings and families, as I grew up when there were NO seat belts, but there also was not all the distractions as we have today, which is why we are here today. So its a matter
of your own desires I believe and we are Americans and should NOT be penltlized for our choices unless we do harm to others, not ourselfs. So I leave your with the following accident info from Pasco Co. Florida earlier today. Prayers to anyone who has to suffer the loss of another, but this is life:

The BMW struck a 1998 Jeep Cherokee (http://www2.tbo.com/topic/k/jeep-cherokee/) driven by Dorly Kelly, 36, of New Port Richey.
The head-on collision killed both drivers and Plank's passenger, Derek Marquisse Giles, 17, also of Palm Harbor.
Neither Plank nor Giles was wearing a seatbelt, the patrol said. (They Died)
Kelly was wearing her seatbelt. (She Died also.)
When its your time, you don't get to choose and you sometimes can't stop it........

Jeff

[Pete95Sierra]

I never go anywhere without my seatbelt. I just dont feel in the seat without it on. it is habit for me to put it on.

[smile661]

SaFeTy FiRsT

[highmilageklr]

Always. I have gotten in just to clean windows and put my seatbelt on many times.

[bry2500]

I try to wear it always but my memory really stinks. My kid's remind me everyday. They always ask why they have to wear one and I don't. I just tell them that dad's stupid.

[TRPLXL2]

I don't wear a seatbelt, and i never will. I have paid several $150 fines, the way I look at it is It's my truck and my life and no one is going to tell me otherwise. If I am riding with someone else and they ask me to put it on I will, but if I'm by myself I don't. Another thing I do is disable my driver and passenger air bags, if my passenger wants the air bags on then I will do that for them. My mother had a 25 mph crash in a 2000 Chevy Cavalier, the air bags deployed wrong and she ended up with both cheaks shattered and an orbital fracture. I am scared of them, thanks for posting this thread it is very interesting...........AMY

[adampaul1964]

I wear mine most of the time, I wrecked my '94 Sierra back in '01, I pulled out of my development on to busy P.A. Rte 16 on a drizzly,misty morning and got T- boned in the drivers door. I just didn't see the lady in her Jeep Cherokee doing 65 mph (no headlights) she was o.k. but I ended up in the ICU for two days and my truck was history, the funny thing is the Dr. said that although he firmly recommends seatbelts, the fact that I DIDN'T have mine on saved my life. So today I sometimes "subconsciously" forget to but it on,even though i'm sure my case was an exception. (wish I still had pics of the truck it was pretty bad looking but it held up real good for me!) :shocked:

[crane557]

I really don't even think about it. Nice not to get tickets too.

[mmorgan1865]

I wear it because I can't stand the ding ding ding.

:rules: