Hooniverse Asks- You Wear Your Seat Belt, Right?

Robert Emslie

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seatbelts

My first job out of high school was working on an ambulance. I had received my Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training through the local Regional Occupational Program and decided, for a while at least, that college could wait. One of the things that I learned in my first career was the remarkable punishment that could be dealt a human body in the event of an auto accident. It was that experience that led me to become a lifetime believer in the efficacy of seat belt usage.

What I am wondering today is whether you are similarly inclined to belt up whilst on the road? Globally, most nations have seat belt laws on the books, while in the US, only New Hampshire does not require their use. All of the other states do, although only about half have laws on the books that allow law enforcement to pull you over specifically for rolling sans restraints. That means the opportunity exists to go without buckling up, and as long as you don’t do anything else stupid, there’s no chance of you getting hauled to the curb for not wearing one. But why would you want to do that?

I can tell you that I have met people who claimed that they would never wear a seat belt because they didn’t want to be constrained from leaping from a vehicle imminently prior to a crash, and thus being able – in their minds – to suffer little more than a crooked tie and perhaps a scuff. I kid you not, people have seriously told me this. I visit their graves on occasion. What about you? You are all pretty smart, after all you’re reading Hooniverse. Do you wear your seat belt while in your or anyone else’s car or truck?

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Robert Emslie

Robert Emslie

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95 responses to “Hooniverse Asks- You Wear Your Seat Belt, Right?”

  1. lilwillie Avatar
    lilwillie

    I always figured if it was good enough for race cars it must work for public roads. "Win on Sunday, Sell on Monday."
    I can tell you my father and mother do not wear their belts, ever. My father has this warped and brain dead belief that wearing one will cause him to die because he will either drown or catch fire and not be able to escape. I have, constantly, explained that is the stupidest thing to ever be spoken because when he crashes through a guard rail, rolls down the embankment, catches fire and then lands in the lake his body will be so mangled I will be able to put him up on the mantle in multiple urns. He will be dead instead of sneaking away from a accident.
    My mother, she just doesn't because my father doesn't.
    It is hard as hell to get through to old dogs when they have walked away from accidents in their youth because either the vehicle wasn't equipped with belts or they thought they were not needed.

    Reply
    1. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      I had an uncle (who passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 95) who wouldn't wear belts. I can remember the day at my grandparents' house when he was showing off the brand new '75 LTD 2-door that he and my aunt had just bought (he said it was so new that the dealer could have gotten in trouble for selling it to him before launch day). He was proud to show me that he had pulled the webbing all the way out from the retractors of the front three-point belts, and then sliced them off with a razor blade (facepalm). I imagine he cut out all the other belts, too. I'm just glad I never had to ride with him in that car.

      Reply
  2. P161911 Avatar
    P161911

    Always, grew up doing it in the 1970s. I'm an engineer, I understand physics. What is amazing is how much seat belts will stretch. Go find the video of Jeremy Dale's crash at Road Atlanta in the late 1990s to see a demonstration.
    I know until recently pickup trucks were exempt from seat belt laws in Georgia. Riding in the bed of a pickup truck is still legal if you are over 18.
    My in-laws still don't buckle up half the time, even though my wife's grandmother was seriously and permanently injured and ejected from a truck in an accident several years ago. I just tell them to buckle up, I don't want them breaking my windshield. Occasionally my father in law has used the excuse he saw someone trapped in a burning car by their seatbelt (this was probably 50 years ago).

    Reply
    1. erikgrad Avatar
      erikgrad

      The way I have heard that entrapment tale from a family member defies explanation. He claims a friend "died alone, trapped by his seat belt in the rolled over and burning car".
      Huh. If he died alone, how do we know he was conscious and trapped by his seat belt in the car??

      Reply
    2. P161911 Avatar
      P161911

      [youtube jkDpYM4LaR8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkDpYM4LaR8 youtube]
      Go to the 0:30 mark to see how much a seat belt can strech. This is a race car where usually you are strapped in with just enough room to breath. There is no gore in the video, but it is a horrible crash. I had a friend that worked with this team some at the time.

      Reply
      1. e46christopher Avatar
        e46christopher

        At 1:47 they replay the crash at speed — and I caught myself saying out loud, "Jesus Christ!" What a horrific hit. It actually startled me.

        Reply
  3. $kaycog Avatar
    $kaycog

    I always wear a seat belt. It's one of those things that I do automatically without thinking.

    Reply
  4. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    I'm wearing my seal belt as I type this (don't worry, at a stoplight). For that matter, I always wear my belt, although I've admittedly started picking up the bad habit of not buckling up until I'm on my way.
    Also, considering my hip still has a wicked bruise from laying a a motorcycle down a week and a half ago (at a mere 20km/h), I can only imagine how bad it'd be if I tried to throw myself free of a crash. Plastic's more forgiving than asphalt.

    Reply
  5. don fehlio Avatar
    don fehlio

    <img src="http://assets.diylol.com/hfs/f21/fce/364/resized/sterling-archer-meme-generator-duh-and-or-hello-dd4d54.jpg"&gt;

    Reply
  6. Ross_K Avatar
    Ross_K

    I don't have a problem with morons not wearing a belt if they're in the car on their own. If they want to kill themselves that's fine…
    However if the same morons are sharing a car with others, they can at least do them the favour of not crushing them in an accident.
    [youtube G4C8VRSxIZo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4C8VRSxIZo youtube]

    Reply
    1. MJMCG Avatar
      MJMCG

      Problem with them killing themselves or maiming themselves is that the taxpayer pays for welfare for their dependents / rehab and welfare if they survive and are invalids. And then there is the issue of not being held as securely in a car (this matters on bumpy roads. Plenty of times the inertia reels have locked on due to bumps. Just wear the darn belt….
      And not to mention what an unrestrained passenger will do to other occupants in a crash…

      Reply
  7. muthalovin Avatar
    muthalovin

    Motorcycles dont have seatbelts. Can you believe that?!

    Reply
    1. BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ Avatar
      BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ

      Sometimes you would like to have one
      <img src="http://seeitornot.faketrix.com/content/thrash-pics/originals/bike-crash-pic-motorcycle-race-accident-racing-mishap.jpg&quot; width="600">

      Reply
    2. BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ Avatar
      BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ

      Some have (well don´t know if a motorcycle can have roof too)
      <img src="http://i444.photobucket.com/albums/qq169/ITechDiary/bmw_c1-e_concept_9.jpg&quot; width="600">

      Reply
      1. HTWHLS Avatar
        HTWHLS

        But no helmet…oh well..

        Reply
    3. Maymar Avatar
      Maymar

      I can almost guarantee you Honda will have them on the Goldwing within a decade.

      Reply
      1. muthalovin Avatar
        muthalovin

        Honda may add 2 more wheels, also.

        Reply
        1. Vairship Avatar
          Vairship

          And call it the Fit.

          Reply
    4. C³-Cool Cadillac Cat Avatar
      C³-Cool Cadillac Cat

      But the newer GL1800's have SRS, from what I understand.

      Reply
    5. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
      Irishzombieman☆

      I wear a pretty heavy backpack most of the time I'm on the bike.
      Those rare occasions where I haven't got it on, I feel like I would without a seat belt in a car. Sorta naked. Metaphorically.
      Not physically.
      <img src="http://departurepublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/WakingNedDevineHP.jpg&quot; width=350>

      Reply
      1. muthalovin Avatar
        muthalovin

        Love that movie.
        I also rock a heavy backpack 95% of the time. This weekend I went out without it, and it was a very strange sensation. Somewhat free, somewhat awkward.

        Reply
        1. Slow_Joe_Crow Avatar
          Slow_Joe_Crow

          Wearing a backpack on a bike can be risky, back in the early 90's there was a blurb in Cycle World about a guy in California who had his arms torn off in a crash.

          Reply
          1. Number_Six Avatar
            Number_Six

            I'm afraid I don't understand how a backpack is protection.
            /ATGATT

    6. Dan-O Avatar
      Dan-O

      No seat belts, but some new motorcycles do have AirBags! I believe the Honda Goldwing has one. It is supposed to help keep you from launching over the handlebars incase of an accident. Look it up, It's pretty interesting….

      Reply
  8. JayP2112 Avatar
    JayP2112

    I didn't use belts until I was had been driving about a year, then there was a push with seatbelt laws. Now it is automatic. My son has been raised in this culture insists I wear my belt to pull the car from the street into the driveway.

    Reply
  9. BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ Avatar
    BЯдΖǐL-ЯЄРΘЯΤЄЯ

    My car has seatbelts only around the hips, if it is good enough for in a plane it should be good enough for my car.
    Joking aside, I know that a 3 point is better and racing harness is even better, but the best protection still is driving careful.

    Reply
    1. racer139 Avatar
      racer139

      Race belts are exellent for on track duty but not somthing that shoud be used on he street. If installed properly the shoulder harness should be wrapped around the cross bar of the roll cage or even a bolt in cross bar, these bars keep the seat from reclining in a roll over causing your body to become the door pilar. Another reason they are not goot for street use is that some people bolt the shoulder harness to the floor behind the seat. Mounting like this causes to much pressure on the users shoulders and back.
      Dont you hate when this happens, your halfway through writing your point and somthing distracts you and you loose your train of thought. Thats what just happened, so if anyone wants to add to this feel free.

      Reply
  10. Leon Avatar
    Leon

    I certainly always wear a seatbelt, however I have been involved in incidents where my seatbelt has cost me dearly. I used to work in security and have been mobbed and beaten whilst stopped at traffic lights, having my seatbelt on meant I could not dodge any in-coming punches/ knives. I still where my seatbelt when ever I am driving, I just keep my finger on the release button whenever stopped.

    Reply
  11. Alff Avatar
    Alff

    Twice in my life I've pulled victims of fatal crashes out of wrecked cars. Yes, I wear a seatbelt along with everyone else in a vehicle I'm driving.

    Reply
  12. Bryce Womeldurf Avatar
    Bryce Womeldurf

    I wear one every time I drive, even despite surviving a roll over without one as a child. I don't think you get to mess up that badly more than once in life and get away with it.
    <img src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5010/5308791967_82c3dd7121.jpg"&gt;

    Reply
    1. dead_elvis Avatar
      dead_elvis

      You walked away from THAT?

      Reply
      1. Bryce Womeldurf Avatar
        Bryce Womeldurf

        Not exactly walked away, no. I was flung out of the rear hatch, from what I'm told. My mother went through the windshield. We were in the hospital for weeks but she made it out with some burns on her hands and a broken clavicle. I had three skull fractures. Two healed and then the one that didn't is covered with some kind of plastic plate. You can't really see the bump much anymore and I comb my hair to hide the scar. But considering I'm not disabled, I'd say I made it out pretty well.

        Reply
        1. dead_elvis Avatar
          dead_elvis

          I think you did indeed.

          Reply
  13. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
    Irishzombieman☆

    Damned straight.
    <img src="http://bitsandpieces.us/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/imagescrash-test-dummies.gif"&gt;
    My brother in law, though, never does, and has survived two accidents because he wasn't. He takes this as evidence that he shouldn't.
    I tell him he's won the death lottery twice, and force him to wear on when riding with me, on the strength of the argument that I don't want him flopping around inside my car like a big rock in a clothes dryer while I'm safely restrained in my seat.

    Reply
    1. erikgrad Avatar
      erikgrad

      I cannot stop watching that GIF

      Reply
      1. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
        Irishzombieman☆

        It is at once horrible and hilarious and hypnotic and. . . something else that starts with "h".
        /goes for more coffee

        Reply
        1. MVEilenstein Avatar
          MVEilenstein

          The first dummy to fly out is killing me.

          Reply
          1. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
            Irishzombieman☆

            I know! How frickin' high did he go?

          2. dukeisduke Avatar
            dukeisduke

            I don't know, but he came down with a nosebleed.

          3. MVEilenstein Avatar
            MVEilenstein

            It's just the way it happens. Nothing, nothing, nothing, then pop! goes the dummy.

          4. ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq Avatar
            ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq

            It looks like he was in the air for 3.5s so at half that he was up as high as he ever was. With g about 32ft/(s*s) that means 1.75 * 32 = 56ft/s was what he exited at. So then v*v/2*g is the max height, 56 * 56 / 64 = 49ft up, sweet jump.

          5. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
            Irishzombieman☆

            <img src="http://i.qkme.me/3uzbt6.jpg&quot; width=400>

    2. muthalovin Avatar
      muthalovin

      I must go, my planet needs ohnonononono.

      Reply
    3. lilwillie Avatar
      lilwillie

      At first I thought that was a Middle Eastern drifting montage from youtube. You can spend hours watching them do crazy stuff and end up dead from it. My brother says they all drive like maniacs and don't wear belts. Something about Allah and his will and stuff.

      Reply
      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Population control?
        http://www.darwinawards.com/

        Reply
    4. Neen85 Avatar
      Neen85

      That proves nothing. The dummies weren't even alive to begin with.

      Reply
    5. dead_elvis Avatar
      dead_elvis

      I've got a friend who was thrown clear in a roll-over, and claimed the first cops on the scene told him he'd be dead if he was wearing his seatbelt. Not until years later, after having a kid, did he start wearing one regularly.
      Ride with me, wear your seatbelt or GTFO.

      Reply
    6. ReneM Avatar
      ReneM

      So after studying that gif your odds in rollover are as follows:
      Thrown out fairly cleanly 1:3
      Thrown out and crushed by vehicle 1:3
      Staying in vehicle 1:6
      Becoming superman for a short period 1:6

      Reply
      1. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
        Irishzombieman☆

        And a 1:12 chance of getting flung so hard your shoe flies off.
        For some reason the shoe bothers me more than the two guys getting crushed.

        Reply
    7. HTWHLS Avatar
      HTWHLS

      I only counted 5 dummies and I included the left rear one that got smashed before he was fully thrown..

      Reply
      1. Irishzombieman☆ Avatar
        Irishzombieman☆

        Interior camera @ :43 shows six. I think one might stay in the car.
        This test is really horrible. Yeow.
        [youtube XHFsmsGPDVc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHFsmsGPDVc youtube]

        Reply
  14. Vavon Avatar
    Vavon

    Always, even in the back!
    <img src="http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m86/Rallyeph2/106%20Rallye%20wit/Fotos/Mijn%20Rallye/Fotoshoots/RallyeS1gordels001.jpg&quot; width=650>

    Reply
    1. dukeisduke Avatar
      dukeisduke

      Red seatbelts FTW!

      Reply
      1. ToLiveNDieInNJ Avatar
        ToLiveNDieInNJ

        And that seat pattern! 90s-tastic!

        Reply
  15. CalculatedRisk Avatar
    CalculatedRisk

    I always do, but sometimes I get to the bottom of my access road before I buckle up. I also dont buckle up until I have backed out of a parking space. My cousins live in a rural town where lack of seatbelts and "road sodas" are the norm. They also drive backroads all the time at between 35 and 40 mph. One survived a triple roll in a pickup sans seatbelt and wears that the belt would have gotten his neck broken. They always click it on the highway to avoid tickets.

    Reply
  16. njhoon Avatar
    njhoon

    I always do. I used to not be as consistent but when i worked at a body shop during college changed that habit for me. My boss knew that as a youngster I wouldn't always buckle up so he had me clean out a car of the personal belongings of a Honda Accord that came in over the weekend. The person driving was drunk, hit a tree and wasn't wearing a seatbelt. The drivers face was imprinted on the windshield and colored in with his blood and hair. I think it might have been the best non spoken lessons I ever learned.

    Reply
  17. dukeisduke Avatar
    dukeisduke

    I started wearing them in my mom's '66 American, when I was eleven. I never really appreciated them until that day when I t-boned a Chevy with a Fiat 124 sedan when I was 19 (the one I was test driving for a friend, that I figured out had two wheel brakes, after the crash). I had the presence of mind to at least put on the lap belt before we drove off in it (the shoulder belt was either missing or unusable, hey, it's been 34 years). The Fiat was totaled, but I came out of it with only a bloody nose (my nose hit the steering wheel) and some neck and back pain for a couple of days.

    Reply
  18. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    No doubt. To the degree that I feel "naked" without them on in a car.

    Reply
  19. Hopman Avatar
    Hopman

    I drive commercially about 50 a year, plus about another 15k in my personal car. The only time i don't buckle up is when I'm menuvering on private property (such as a customer's shop. But one I hit the road, I'm buckled.
    It drives my passengers nuts when I force them to buckle up when they're riding with me because it is NH, and the ONLY state that doesn't equire adults over 18 to be belted.

    Reply
    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      That's interesting. What kind of lobby has an interest to not make this a requirement? Strong funeral business in NH?

      Reply
      1. hwyengr Avatar
        hwyengr

        This is the state that puts "Live Free or Die" on the license plates.
        "Gubmint ain't gonna tell me what to do!"

        Reply
        1. Sjalabais Avatar
          Sjalabais

          Aah, I've heard about that even on the other side of the globe. Sounds like a joke, but it's a good one.

          Reply
    2. dead_elvis Avatar
      dead_elvis

      NH is full of all kinds of stupid.
      /grew up in VT

      Reply
  20. Devin Avatar
    Devin

    All the time, and not just because the car beeps at me if I don't. When I was a kid my sister got in a severe car accident, and the doctor outright said that the only reason she was alive was due to her seatbelt. Also, I was once in a very minor accident in a '63 Rambler that would have been totally fine with a belt, but without I flew into the back of the front seat and it seriously hurt. So, it's been a pretty much instant movement when starting the car, right hand doing the keys, left hand grabbing the belt.
    My late grandmother always tried to avoid wearing them, saying "ach I'm old why bother?" or "ach, they won't give an old lady a ticket." I told her she wouldn't be getting a ride to get groceries and stuff until she did. My dad was also pretty bad about it, but luckily their cars are new now and start dinging quite insistently if you don't.

    Reply
    1. ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq Avatar
      ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq

      Similar thing happened to me as a kid. Early '70s Buick Electra rear ended while stopped. I got hurt hitting the back of the front bench. Coming from Poland my parents had no idea that there even were lap belts in the back. They were tucked in between the cushions. From then on I always wore a seat belt. I was pretty paranoid for a while too, always insisting to sit in the middle back thinking it was the safest.
      In my car now I pretty much only don't when backing-up, they don't retract, so I can't look over my shoulder if I have them on.

      Reply
  21. SSurfer321 Avatar
    SSurfer321

    If my vehicle is in gear, and I'm in one of the front seats, my seatbelt is on. I won't navigate across a parking lot without it on, I feel naked without it.
    However, I typically don't wear one if I'm riding in the back seat. They're just so uncomfortable due to the low attachment point over the shoulder.

    Reply
  22. MVEilenstein Avatar
    MVEilenstein

    I always wear mine, but not if I'm just moving a car from the street.

    Reply
  23. C³-Cool Cadillac Cat Avatar
    C³-Cool Cadillac Cat

    Always, even in the 40' long, 25K+ lb. diesel motorcoach.
    My wife doesn't in that vehicle, but she's usually passed out, asleep, in the passenger's seat…with at least one cat laying on her.
    I want to be in the most control possible, AT ALL TIMES, which means I need to stay put, behind the wheel.
    Simple.
    Actually, I wish there were a way to not have all the SRS we have, now, as it adds weight, complexity, and detracts from what, for me, is a more important collision issue, that being side impacts.
    I've been popped twice, hard, in the side. Once in a '67 Dodge A108 passenger van, driver's side, and the hit was so hard, I could see pavement beneath my feet where there had been floor. The other in the passenger's side, 1980 F-100 LWB pickup, bent the frame such that reverse was the only gear I could access with the Hurst three-on-the-tree conversion shift on the floor. Backed it home about 3/4 of a mile, the cops were fine with this.
    The Dodge wreck beat me up pretty badly, but the lap belt kept me in-place. The Ford one kept me from likely flying across the cabin.
    Neither were my fault. The Dodge wreck was a drunk bastard, on the wrong side of the road, no lights on (it was midnight or so), going the cops estimated 70 MPH…after he hit me, from behind (I was turning left into a driveway) he took out a telephone pole and a utility building with his '70 Javelin…but I had bruises like you would not believe and about an inch broken off the end of my left collar bone.
    You have to hit one of those B-pillars REALLY hard…with your head and hip joint, to leave obvious dents.
    I did the same with helmets & gear when on #twowheelsgood. I'd put on my one-piece Aerostich, full-face helmet, gloves, and boots, even if I was merely going 1/2 a mile to get fuel or whatever.
    "But you're only going down the street…" people would argue.
    Yeah, but the bonehead who may hit me doesn't know, or care.

    Reply
    1. dead_elvis Avatar
      dead_elvis

      "…the bonehead who may hit me doesn't know, or care."
      I regret that I have but one thumbs-up to give this comment.

      Reply
  24. failboat Avatar
    failboat

    I always wear my seatbelt. feel naked without it. On the other hand, I know 2 people who survived wrecks because they weren't buckled in. One friend got tossed over to the drivers side of the cabin in a wreck and a sign post came thru the windshield into the passenger seat all Final Destination style. Brother in law got thrown out the passenger window from a car that rolled, only suffered some scrapes and bruisies while the passenger side of the car was completely smashed in. I dont think I'd risk it. They got lucky.
    I still find it amusing that there are seatbelt laws in VA, yet its legal to ride in the bed of a pickup if you are over the age of 16. 'Murica.

    Reply
  25. Slow_Joe_Crow Avatar
    Slow_Joe_Crow

    I always wore belts, a few years before I was born, one of my father's aunts went through a windshield, which immediately convinced the surviving relatives to wear their seatbelts.

    Reply
  26. Stu_Rock Avatar
    Stu_Rock

    I drive a supercharged car with a tight suspension and a leather bench seat. I need the seat belt to keep me from sliding away from the controls.

    Reply
    1. Batshitbox Avatar
      Batshitbox

      Yah! The '63 Scout with no roll bar and a folding windshield was just like going downhill in a bathtub on square wheels. There was no going anywhere without strapping in first. And that's just a 2WD on city streets!

      Reply
  27. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
    FuzzyPlushroom

    Yep, either as I'm leaving the driveway or, often when I'm driving, before I even start the car. Definitely before 30 MPH. Every time.
    I figure, I've walked away from being effectively PITted into a guardrail at 65 with nothing but a day of memory loss and a hand that still hurts occasionally (caught in the steering wheel, I assume), in a car designed in the '70s with an airbag which didn't go off. Since I didn't fly around the car or get notably injured, that's plus one for seat belts.
    Even in New Hampshire, any front-seat passengers wear theirs. No exceptions. If you're in the front, you're a projectile, should someone hit me, or should I somehow lose control of the car. I'm less strict about the back seat, but I much prefer everyone has their belt on.

    Reply
    1. dead_elvis Avatar
      dead_elvis

      I prefer not to have any rear-seat passengers smashing into my seatback in an accident. No crap riding around on the rear deck, either.

      Reply
      1. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
        FuzzyPlushroom

        I agree, but the back seat is harder to patrol and less of a risk. (I also don't carry anyone's kids in my car. The last time was my ex's younger brother, who's a little turdstain – I made sure to bean him with a strategically-placed parcel-shelf cassette suitcase on a hard right turn.)
        Aside from such specialised situations, nothing rides unrestrained above console level, either – on the rear seat, or in the hatch area with the seats folded, I don't care, because I figure if my car's upside-down, I have larger problems.

        Reply
  28. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    For all the time I spend on two wheels in traffic (that is, most of my time on the road!) I wear a seat belt whenever I'm in a vehicle equipped with one. I think I would just look stupid getting injured without the belt. Same reason I wear a helmet, yes, even in New Hampshire. And Maine.
    <img src="http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle-pics/Classic_Bowie_Knife2.jpg&quot; width=250>
    However, I always keep an unsheathed hunting knife between me and the air bag. I hate getting hit in the face by those contraptions. I like having the lightning quick reflexes that allow me to puncture the airbag as it inflates, thus escaping with a crooked tie and my coffee still in the mug.

    Reply
    1. BAMacPherson Avatar
      BAMacPherson

      Ladies and gentlemen… Chuck Norris!

      Reply
      1. ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq Avatar
        ˏ♂ˊ mzs zsm msz esq

        that or Paul Hogan

        Reply
    2. FuzzyPlushroom Avatar
      FuzzyPlushroom

      The craptastic folding knife in my seat pocket is there for various utility purposes (cutting rope or duct tape, mostly), but I'm going to start mentioning those lightning-quick reflexes to passengers who don't know me well enough to know that my reflexes are closer to half a second late.

      Reply
      1. Batshitbox Avatar
        Batshitbox

        Ha! My passengers figure out pretty quick just how achingly long it can take me to react to situations on the road. By then they're strapped in and can only whimper and try not to blink. I try to point out that my truck has no dents in it, ipso facto I must be a good safe driver, but they sometimes realize that half ton GMC pickups usually do the denting.

        Reply
  29. Number_Six Avatar
    Number_Six

    Yes, even/especially in a taxi.

    Reply
  30. TurboBrick Avatar
    TurboBrick

    Yes, of course, ever since my parents made me stop standing on the center hump so I could see better. I'd rather be naked than not wear a belt. The ride on the back of my friend's belt-less Amazon had me clawing at the window frames like a cat, and my cousin's '62 Beetle wasn't much better with the silly hoops for your hand. The rear seat was kind of high on that and felt like sitting in a catapult ready to be launched through the windshield.

    Reply
    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      I retro-fitted 3-point seatbelts in the front of my convertible Corvair (replacing the lapbelt) for just that reason: something about having a non-collapsible steering column aimed at my chest and face.
      I even bought the SAE guide online to make sure I got the angle of the belt right (if the rear attachment of the shoulder belt is too low, it'll compress your spine in an accident).

      Reply
  31. CABEZAGRANDE Avatar
    CABEZAGRANDE

    I used to wear it most of the time but not always. Then, I had a very bad accident a few years back. I hit a deer at 70 mph on a VERY windy night (50+ mph gusts, directly perpendicular to my direction of travel), causing me to go into an uncontrolled slide. I crossed the oncoming lane, managed to get the nose back around, but at that point I was sliding accross the embankment almost fully perpendicular to the road at around 70 and a tire caught, causing me to roll 3-4 times (I was concious throughout, but very disoriented). Thankfully, I had my seatbelt on, so my injuries consisted only of a new scar and huge hematoma on my forehead where I bounced my head off the side glass and some cuts and glass imbedded in my hand from where it broke the sunroof (thankfully my hand remained in the car). Had I not been wearing my seatbelt, I would have been very seriously injured, maybe even died, instead of being able to walk away with minor injuries. I now wear it every single time.

    Reply
  32. dead_elvis Avatar
    dead_elvis

    I had a very good object lesson in the effectiveness of seatbelts when I totaled an '81 Corolla Tercel 11 days after getting my license. 27 years later, still wearing 'em, regardless of where I'm going or who's driving.

    Reply
  33. owl Avatar
    owl

    Always. Even in our 2CV in which if I crash its definitely going to hurt …like dead sort of hurt
    My 17 year old gets cross if I dont put the belt on whilst I am turning the car round in the drive…and so he should

    Reply
  34. Van_Sarockin Avatar
    Van_Sarockin

    My car doesn't move until everyone in the front seat has their seat belt on. Rear seat passengers can do as they please, as the risk of serious injury to them is less than half that of front seat passengers. I also like the additional feeling of connection I have with the car when I'm belted in.

    Reply
    1. dead_elvis Avatar
      dead_elvis

      Make those rear seat riders buckle up, if for no other reason than to keep them from hitting YOU in a collision.

      Reply
  35. topdeadcentre Avatar
    topdeadcentre

    I do. All of my passengers do.
    Unfortunately, I do also forget sometimes. I grew up in Massachusetts without mandatory seatbelt laws, and us kids never belted up in the back seats in the early 70's. I often remember right after pulling out of my driveway onto the little dead-end street, but I have forgotten for a mile or two as well.

    Reply
  36. plecostomus Avatar
    plecostomus

    I always buckle up; as does every other passenger in the car. I treat it like I treated wearing armor: in a crash, without it, you are MUCH MUCH MUCH more likely to die.
    I practiced All The Gear All The Time and thusly am always buckled. I used to nag my dad about it.

    Reply
  37. Ean Avatar
    Ean

    Friend of mine happens to know someone who was ejected from his vehicle. He happened to land quite safely with just scuffs. But where the vehicle stopped, he assumed he'd have been worse off if still in the drivers seat. So based on that one instance, my friend has decided he's better off without wearing a seatbelt. Ok fine, he has that opinion based on his own life.
    This same friend had a rear seat passenger with lap belt only. I don't know if I heard all the details before, but this guy ended up in a wheelchair for 3 months. My friend says it's cause the lap belt cut into him and did internal damage. The problem here, is I wanted to use the lap belt while in the back of his '86 model car. He refused to start the car until I took the belt off. I did as he asked… Til we were moving along, and I quietly sneaked it back on. I think I even faked a cough when it clicked. lol
    btw, I'm guessing that "wheelchair" guy was slouched in the seat and the belt was indeed across his stomach, not over his pelvis where it should be.

    Reply
  38. lilpoindexter Avatar
    lilpoindexter

    One of my former co-workers reluctantly wore a belt. He had been in a bad car accident, where the skin from the top of his head, and over his forehead had been peeled forward. He had a scar from just in front of each ear from left to right where he was sewn back together…
    And the thing that blew me away…each time we went to lunch in my car I had to INSIST that he put his belt on…this guy was an engineer, with a masters in engineering and a masters in business, so he wasn't retarded, but I could never figure out his reluctance to wear a damn seat belt.

    Reply
  39. Alcology Avatar
    Alcology

    Yep, always. Everyone in the car has to. A couple got into an accident right in front of my aunt and uncles place and hit a tree. They were not wearing seatbelts and flew out the windshield. They basically skinned themselves on the pavement. They did not survive.

    Reply
  40. Joe Dunlap Avatar
    Joe Dunlap

    This argument, if you want to call it that, has been going on probably since the first belt was installed by Ford in 1955. I started drivng as a teen in 1964 and immediately put lap belts in my 58 Chevy and have been advocating for their use ever since. Why? I got a first hand lesson from my Dad, who rear-ended another car at a stop sign at maybe 10mph or less in his 61VW Transporter. Split his upper lip up into his left nostril on the sun visor. Granted, a lap belt may not have done much good had the VW even been equipped (he probably would have hit the steering wheel instead of the visor) but seeing his face bandaged for a couple of months was better than any physics lesson Ive ever learned. No seatbelt?=Darwin award winner.

    Reply