Importance of everyone wearing seat belts.

[Vegas04]

In a political science class in college we read a short "sidenote" on mandatory seatbelts. the author said that when wearing a seatbelt first became mandatory in his state (or federal, not sure) the number of car accidents actually icreased due to a new feeling of increased safety although the number of fatalities per thousand accidents decreased. So the number of fatalities per thousand miles of roadway (the only measurement that the federal government cares about) actually stayed the same. However, the ironic part is that the number of pedestrian fatalities increased as a byproduct of the "safer feeling" of the drivers.

oh yeah, and here is a more "motivating" seatbelt video:
http://media.ebaumsworld.com/noseatbelt.wmv

[Brando7]

I'm not sure who brought up the legality of seatbelts, but I'm just saying that you're a fool if you don't put it on, whether it's a law or not. Someone previously mentioned that they don't like to wear their seatbelt, and they also mentioned their kids - if you have kids and you AREN'T wearing your seatbelt when you're driving, that's just plain selfish.

[stlblues]

Originally Posted by gftitan04

I don't mean to sound disrespectful, but I find it kind of hypocritical to make your kids wear them but you don't. What would they say if something happened to you in an accident and you were injured or killed and later found out it was because you chose not wear a seatbelt? I think if you are going to make a child do something, you have to be an example.

I do believe in a right to choose, but I also believe common sense.

I just hope more than anything people don't get hurt or killed when they did not have too.

I've had a number of friends in serious accidents, If my wife would have been wearing hers during her wreck, she would be dead, period. Drivers side was destroyed in the rollover. She wound up in the back seat, covered in glass, but fine. My father in law would be dead, Long story with two trucks, but if he couldn't have dove for the passenger side, Highway patrol said he would have died. If a friend hadn't been thrown from her car, she would have cooked in the fire (Dodge, not a ford). I have only one friend that was supposedly saved by the belt, recieved serious intenal injurys from it though. I'll pay my $25 ticket, but here, if your kids aren't buckled up, its much more serious. If I had to when I was young, maybe it wouldn't bug the crap out of me now. I do wear a helmet on and off street on motorcycles, but its more of a comfort thing. Face it, at 130mph, a helmet is just going to insure an open casket. When your time is up, its up. I wear a helmet playing hockey only because they won't let you on the ice without it. If everyone had to wear all the protection required to play hockey when driving, injuries and fatalities would be cut by 75% literally. Lets push for that then. Only takes 20 minutes to dress out.

[Brando7]

Originally Posted by stlblues

I've had a number of friends in serious accidents, If my wife would have been wearing hers during her wreck, she would be dead, period. Drivers side was destroyed in the rollover. She wound up in the back seat, covered in glass, but fine. My father in law would be dead, Long story with two trucks, but if he couldn't have dove for the passenger side, Highway patrol said he would have died. If a friend hadn't been thrown from her car, she would have cooked in the fire (Dodge, not a ford).

I mean no disrespect regarding those accidents, but I'm just not buying that you know 3 people who were saved by not wearing a seatbelt. If you were given the choice of being tossed out of your vehicle in a rollover or being secured in the vehicle, would you not choose to be secured?

[jdmartin]

you realize police officers don't usually wear bulletproof vests, right?

Actually many departments around the country are going to vests as part of standard dress when you go on duty. As a city manager, my police employees that worked the street always wore one under their uniforms. Vests protect against more than just bullets - they're pretty good protection against fists, bats, etc in a fight.

As for seat belts vs. no seat belts, playing the odds says you wear your seat belt every time you get in. It is very unlikely that you will be involved in an accident that is so bad that you are killed wearing a seat belt and would not have been killed without one. For example if you are hit so hard that your vehicle is completely burst into flames and you are unable to unbuckle the seatbelt and get out (unconscious, broken arms, whatever) so that you burn up, what would likely the effect of that same accident have been without a seatbelt?

As a city manager I have had many EMS personnel work for me. The horror stories they have of unbuckled people is sad, really. Anyone who doesn't believe seat belts are safer for you should go talk to your local EMS crew and see what their opinions are.

PS: Why do Nascar drivers wear seat harnesses? After all, they're involved in plenty of rollover accidents, fiery crashes, sideswipes, etc. Besides that, they have nets over the windows to keep them from flying out the vehicle so it would seem they wouldn't need a seat belt at all. If it's equal odds that you'll be better off without the seat belt I would imagine most of them guys wouldn't want something else making them uncomfortable in a hot vehicle.

I think it's irresponsible to portray to other people that you're just as well off without them. If you don't want to wear one because you just don't like it, that's fine, but there will be people who read this forum that will get the mistaken idea that they're unnecessary because you might have to dive out of the driver's seat in a millisecond going 60 miles per hour to avoid becoming a flattened bug.

[gftitan04]

Originally Posted by stlblues

I've had a number of friends in serious accidents, If my wife would have been wearing hers during her wreck, she would be dead, period. Drivers side was destroyed in the rollover. She wound up in the back seat, covered in glass, but fine. My father in law would be dead, Long story with two trucks, but if he couldn't have dove for the passenger side, Highway patrol said he would have died. If a friend hadn't been thrown from her car, she would have cooked in the fire (Dodge, not a ford). I have only one friend that was supposedly saved by the belt, recieved serious intenal injurys from it though. I'll pay my $25 ticket, but here, if your kids aren't buckled up, its much more serious. If I had to when I was young, maybe it wouldn't bug the crap out of me now. I do wear a helmet on and off street on motorcycles, but its more of a comfort thing. Face it, at 130mph, a helmet is just going to insure an open casket. When your time is up, its up. I wear a helmet playing hockey only because they won't let you on the ice without it. If everyone had to wear all the protection required to play hockey when driving, injuries and fatalities would be cut by 75% literally. Lets push for that then. Only takes 20 minutes to dress out.

Ok, I'll give you those three. However, ask any CHP or other state highway patrol officer and they will tell you how many people have been killed because they were not wearing a seatbelt. And there is the other side of it on how many people were saved because of the seatbelt. Every statistic out there proves that seatbelts save more lives than anything. There is not one that shows anything different. How many times do you have see bodies being thrown from a car and the person that lived had his/hers on? It’s in almost every major accident news story you'll see.

[Brando7]

Originally Posted by jdmartin

Actually many departments around the country are going to vests as part of standard dress when you go on duty. As a city manager, my police employees that worked the street always wore one under their uniforms. Vests protect against more than just bullets - they're pretty good protection against fists, bats, etc in a fight.

As for seat belts vs. no seat belts, playing the odds says you wear your seat belt every time you get in. It is very unlikely that you will be involved in an accident that is so bad that you are killed wearing a seat belt and would not have been killed without one. For example if you are hit so hard that your vehicle is completely burst into flames and you are unable to unbuckle the seatbelt and get out (unconscious, broken arms, whatever) so that you burn up, what would likely the effect of that same accident have been without a seatbelt?

As a city manager I have had many EMS personnel work for me. The horror stories they have of unbuckled people is sad, really. Anyone who doesn't believe seat belts are safer for you should go talk to your local EMS crew and see what their opinions are.

PS: Why do Nascar drivers wear seat harnesses? After all, they're involved in plenty of rollover accidents, fiery crashes, sideswipes, etc. Besides that, they have nets over the windows to keep them from flying out the vehicle so it would seem they wouldn't need a seat belt at all. If it's equal odds that you'll be better off without the seat belt I would imagine most of them guys wouldn't want something else making them uncomfortable in a hot vehicle.

I think it's irresponsible to portray to other people that you're just as well off without them. If you don't want to wear one because you just don't like it, that's fine, but there will be people who read this forum that will get the mistaken idea that they're unnecessary because you might have to dive out of the driver's seat in a millisecond going 60 miles per hour to avoid becoming a flattened bug.

Spectacular post, jdmartin. To even further strengthen your Nascar comparison: How many Nascar crashes end up with the driver being tossed out of the car? The extreme effort is made to keep that driver securely in that car.

[Derodeo]

I think that probably every other country in the Western world has had seatbelt legislation for, oh, maybe 30 years or so. The fact that parts of the U.S. still don't is hard for me to believe.

[lanceman_1]

I never wore a seatbelt until my best freind told me all of the stories of fatal crashes. Being a DC cop a lot were stolen cars and a chase with the ending result being a crash. I personally was in a head on collision in my 2003 xterra about 8 months ago and walked away. The 3 guys in the ford f150 pickup all were taken away in by ambulances. They were not wearing seatbelts. Oh yea I bought my TITAN after that.. Xterra unrepairable.

[stlblues]

Originally Posted by gftitan04

Ok, I'll give you those three. However, ask any CHP or other state highway patrol officer and they will tell you how many people have been killed because they were not wearing a seatbelt. And there is the other side of it on how many people were saved because of the seatbelt. Every statistic out there proves that seatbelts save more lives than anything. There is not one that shows anything different. How many times do you have see bodies being thrown from a car and the person that lived had his/hers on? It’s in almost every major accident news story you'll see.

My uncle was a Missouri State Highway Patrolman for over 20 years, his endorsment---its the law now. From what he had seen, you've got a 50/50 chance either way. He, however didn't endorse motorcycles what so ever.

[terryu1]

Originally Posted by ruauman2

You guys crack me up! Wake me up when you reach a concensus. zzzzzzz

On this forum??? Seriously though, I usually fail to wear one and I will again try to remember EVERY time. Thanks!

PS. NASCAR uses 5 point harnesses rather than "seatbelts". This along with the HANS device as an earlier poster pointed out, keeps the driver securely in the vehicle. Do you seriously think the window netting would keep a driver in the car hitting the wall at 180MPH?? The force would tear the belt right off and shoot the driver through the windscreen like a dart.

[stlblues]

Originally Posted by Brando7

I mean no disrespect regarding those accidents, but I'm just not buying that you know 3 people who were saved by not wearing a seatbelt. If you were given the choice of being tossed out of your vehicle in a rollover or being secured in the vehicle, would you not choose to be secured?

I don't care if you by it or not. That was the case. There was an accident in the next county over where 6 teen agers were in a Neon that wound up in the river. The only one to die was the girl in the rear, she was the only one wearing her seatbelt. She drowned before anyone could get her unbuckled. I base my decisions on personal experience and accounts from family members in law enforcement and a friend who is an EMT. No one releases the stats on the other side, or cases where seatbelts have failed or cause more injury or death. I know guys that swear Fords are the best vehicles to ever hit the road. I'm sorry I have contrary information, as I do in this case. If you check, the air bags deploy diffently if you do not have your seatbelt on, I'll take that route. I wear a 5 point harness when racing off road, but thats just to keep me in better proximity to the controlls.

I'm done, nothing you can say to change my position, and I will not give up motorcycling. A life lived in fear and clouded by what ifs is not a life worth living.

[buzzkillwill]

WOW...

Still talking about NOT wearing seat belts....

The thing with seat belts is that if you have an accident at speeds above say, 65...all bets are off. With that said though, most people have accidents at much lower speeds. And it is proven, despite the 'stories' that are being told on here that they work. As I mentioned earlier, I worked as a cop for almost six years, in FL and CT, and I can tell you they work.
I've seen MVA's where they were low to moderate impact and people died, because of blunt trauma caused by impacting the dash, the sterring wheel or the windshield. And the people I feel most sorry for are the families. There's nothing like telling a family member that someone they love was just injured or worse...killed.

[JohnC]

Originally Posted by travism

I think the law should be the same for every type of vehicle, but I'm undecided on whether there should be seatbelt laws.

I for one don't think there should be seatbelt or airbag laws. The only part that should be a law(IMO) is the car be equipped with seatbelts, and airbags should be available. I always wear my seatbelt, and make my passengers buckle up, but it should NOT be a law, and definitely not an enforced crime. We really need to stop protecting people from them selves. Darwin needs a chance.

Air bags are my biggest complaint. The ONLY time they are effective is at the same speeds a seat belt is effect. So laws dictating a car be equipped with airbags is just redundant to buckle-up laws. Air bags cost us money initially, and after an accident. Someone got rich off that legislation, and I don't believe it saved any lives, that wouldn't have been saved with a seatbelt. Since many disagree with my view I have no issue with airbags being an option, and even a mandate that automaker make it available.

Now, side air bags I like. Seatbelts don't do much for side-impacts, but side curtain airbags can keep you head off the side window, which is a good thing.

Just my 2 cents.

[TOK]

Originally Posted by Derodeo

I think that probably every other country in the Western world has had seatbelt legislation for, oh, maybe 30 years or so. The fact that parts of the U.S. still don't is hard for me to believe.

Thank God some Americans still don't want the government making every little decision for them.

I choose to wear my seatbelts, but it irritates me that some shlub would force me to do something. Same with smoking.