Seat belts are not as confining as wheelchairs

[dusthomps]

I always wear my seatbelt... only once I didn't have it on in an accident and was glad I forgot it. Hit a telephone pole doing 65 after falling asleep behind the wheel in a '86 D150. Bent the steering wheel over and then got thrown to the floor. The plus on this one, I hit the telephone pole directly in front of the driver side, broke the pole off and it fell back on the truck, collapsing the roof. Had I had my seatbelt on that one time, my head would have been shoved down a good foot when the pole came down on the roof. Coincidence that I forgot that one time? Maybe not.



Dustin

 

[merryman]

Lost baby convinced me.



I came up on a minor wreck (car stayed upright and had only minor damage on one corner, but spun around), to find a man histerical----running around yelling, "I can't find my baby..... "



I helped look and found the dead baby face down in 6 inches of water. His two year old died later, wife badly injured. All three were thrown out in the spin. Car never left the pavement and you had to look for the damage.

My kids thought I had become a pure finatic about seat belts.



Vaughn

 

[Mtngoat]

In my 20+ years of Law Enforcement, I have seen many, many accidents that if not for seat belts and air bags, life flight would be making a lot more flights. And in a lot of sad cases, not ones they should have. Been a couple that seatbelts might have caused injuries but the overwhelming statistics say belts help more than they hurt. As someone said above it is amazing how big people can be ejected out of a tiny car window! I've seen it many times!!

Having said all that, I always wear on the highways and 90% of the time in town, sometimes I just forget, I think Alzheimers is setting in.



Robin

 

[10-G]

I wear mine about 50% of the time. I cant stand to wear them. I would prefer an old fashioned lap belt. What you dont hear about are the injuries caused by the shoulder harness.



If a person gets thrown forward and the shoulder to the center of the vehicle(the one not covered by a belt) spins/thrown forward with enough force it can separate the spinal cord in the lower back. The other shoulder is stopped by the belt. It has happened numerous times in wrecks without a lot of speed.



I have been in a total of three bad wrecks while not wearing a seat belt and never got a scratch. The last one that occurred, I was hit from behind by a vehicle that was traveling (according to the Accident Investigator) 70 plus. I was going about 5. The driver of the other vehicle later admitted that he was going closer to 100mph. My airbag did not activate.







:--)

 

[TSuter]

I wear mine all the time. While in Spain recently some friends got in an accident in a car smaller then a Focus. They rolled 4 times sideways hit a ditch then went another 3 times end over end. If it wasn't for seatbelts all four would have been dead. As it was the worst was three broke ribs and two cracked vertebrae.



Tom

 

[gds3076]

I have been 5 car accidents. Only one was my fault. The other 4 I was along for the ride. My first accident was when I was in high school. my dad and I where sitting at a stop light at about 3:00 in the afternoon when some drunk kid hit us at about 65 mph head on. Needless to say my truck was totaled and my dad almost died. I was pretty messed up my self. The other 4 where just as bad. So I where mine pretty religously. ]



The accident where I was at fault I was going only about 3 mgh becuase my foot slipped off the brake peddle and I couldn't slam my foot back on in enough time to keep from bumping the car in front of me. . Turns out I was sued for 100,000$ NO JOKE!!! the case drug on for about 3. 5 years. Went through about 4 depositions, and whole lot of heart ake... ... CALIFORMIA SUCKS!!! Drivers beware people love to sue out here. . :--)

 

[gds3076]

Originally posted by gds3076

I have been 5 car accidents. Only one was my fault. The other 4 I was along for the ride. My first accident was when I was in high school. my dad and I where sitting at a stop light at about 3:00 in the afternoon when some drunk kid hit us at about 65 mph head on. Needless to say my truck was totaled and my dad almost died. I was pretty messed up my self. The other 4 where just as bad. So I where mine pretty religously. ]



The accident where I was at fault I was going only about 3 mgh becuase my foot slipped off the brake peddle and I couldn't slam my foot back on in enough time to keep from bumping the car in front of me. . Turns out I was sued for 100,000$ NO JOKE!!! the case drug on for about 3. 5 years. Went through about 4 depositions, and whole lot of heart ake... ... CALIFORNIA SUCKS!!! Drivers beware people love to sue out here. . :--)

 

[QRTRHRS]

Once I was able to buy more late model cars with belts, I readily used them. Two incidents really drive the point home in my mind though.



I had a coworker lay a Ford tandem dump over coming my way. I saw him bounce around in that cab complete with two shift sticks and two body control sticks. He was black and blue from one end to the other.



A friend's son was out drinking one night and crashed his pickup on a bridge getting thrown out. About six semi's ran over him before everyone got stopped.

 

[klenger]

six semi's ran over him before everyone got stopped.

Ouch!

 

[Forrest Nearing]

Always! I feel naked without one...



when I was a kid, my aunt died in a car wreck because she wasn't wearing her belt... that's all it took for me.



Forrest

 

[CumminsPower98]

I always have mine on. I feel funny without it. No matter how short the trip I put it on anyway (I once heard that most accidents happen close to home on short trips). I was in an accident once that totaled my car and glad I had it on at that time. A guy made a left turn right in front of me coming from the other direction and took out my left front corner.

 

[mstimac]

My entire family always wears their belts. Two summers ago it kept them alive. A guy crossed into their lane and hit them head on at 55 mph. Even with belts my son had a broken wrist, my daughter had a broken back and ruptured intestines, and the wife came out with her entire upper jaw shattered, two broken femurs, one shattered knee, a collapsed lung and a broken ankle. Took 70 days in the hospital to get every one back home again. I cringe every time I see some fool rolling down the road with their kids roaming free in the car. As for adults well the choice is theirs.

 

[Billy Diesel]

(I once heard that most accidents happen close to home on short trips).

That is because this is a majority of people's driving. If you spend 85% of your time in one area, statistics are you will get in an accident in that area (poorly engineered roads notwithstanding).