Do you always wear a seat belt?

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Addie

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I am watching ER Trauma. A horrific car accident victim came in and he wasn't wearing a seat belt.

I used to swear I would never wear one. I hated being so confined. But since my health plan provides all transportation, the driver will not move the vehicle until every one is belted in. Now I always have one on. In fact I grab the two ends before I even sit down. I even wear one in my daughter's car.

The only type I have trouble with is the kind that not only go across your lap, but also across you chest. A driver had to stop short and slammed on the brakes. I fell forward and ended up with a massive bruise halfway around my neck. I am lucky I wasn't decapitated. I am child size in height. So now I put that part behind me. But I still have the lap strap on. In this state, children of my height, (4'6") if they are seated in the front seat, are required by law to have a booster seat. Sorry I will walk before I go that route.

So do you always wear a seat belt? Keep in mind that most accidents happen within 25 miles of home. :angel:
 
I always wear a seat belt, for two reasons:
1) I was in a car accident in 1995. I wasn't wearing a seat belt at the time and I ended up in the back seat with a broken jaw and a night in the hospital.
2) My Ford Escape Hybrid beeps obnoxiously whenever someone doesn't have a seat belt on. It has a pressure sensor in the passenger seat, so passengers have to belt up, too.
 
Yes, I ALWAYS wear a seat belt. It's a good law. Why would you question that?
You do need a booster seat and I doubt you'd walk if you were required to use one.
 
No biggie. I don't mind seat belts, always wear mine if I'm in the front seat and driving. My MIL, who was quite, um, well-endowed prior to her reduction surgery, absolutely hated them. She's very short too, and just could never get comfortable with her seatbelt, so she had some creative solutions.

I do recall riding untethered in the back of pickups and station wagons growing up. Those were the days.

I usually don't buckle up if I'm in the back seat, or in a taxi.
 
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The only type I have trouble with is the kind that not only go across your lap, but also across you chest. A driver had to stop short and slammed on the brakes. I fell forward and ended up with a massive bruise halfway around my neck. I am lucky I wasn't decapitated.

By not using it, you're lucky your head doesn't hit the windshield. You can survive a bruise, obviously.
 
:angel:
No biggie. I don't mind seat belts, always wear mine if I'm in the front seat and driving. My MIL, who was quite, um, well-endowed prior to her reduction surgery, absolutely hated them. She's very short too, and just could never get comfortable with her seatbelt, so she had some creative solutions.

I do recall riding untethered in the back of pickups and station wagons growing up. Those were the days.

I usually don't buckle up if I'm in the back seat, or in a taxi.

When I lived in Texas, kids always rode in the back of pickups. But the rule was, they had to sit on the floor, not the hub of the wheel. That is where the kids thought was the most daring. My girlfriend had a pickup and she would look in her rear view mirror constantly. If she saw a kid up on the wheel hub, she would pull over to the side and stay there until the kid got down on the floor. We never stopped for more than a few seconds. One time she was headed for the beach. Her oldest insisted on sneaking up on the hub. She got tired of pulling over and turned around and went back home. A few of those kind of trips and the problem ended. A case of because of one child misbehaving, all kids were punished. :angel:
 
Without question, prior to seat belt laws in the late 60's, countless lives were lost.

I remember my sleeping baby born in 65' straddling me on my chest when his Daddy drove us home after countless evenings with friends. But for the grace of God... Shudder.
 
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Wearing a seat belt is so automatic to me, sometimes I use it even when I'm only backing the car out of the garage to park it in the driveway.

My Mom and I argued the pros and cons of using a seat belt when she and Dad got our first car that had them, a 1965 Ford Galaxy 500. She said she wouldn't wear one because she was afraid of dying from internal injuries (a friend of hers had just been in an accident while wearing one and did sustain some non-life-threatening injuries). I told her she was going to look horrid at her funeral, that I would choose to wear mine, and at least I could have an open-coffin wake. :LOL: She still didn't wear one...unless I was driving her. Then I wouldn't start the car until she buckled up.

Addie, you need to get yourself one of those seat belt clips that lets you adjust the angle for the chest strap. I have a friend who is VERY well endowed and had always had the strap come across one of "them". She got a set of these clips, one for herself and one for her daughter, and she's never complained about seat belts since. Works for short people, too.

Frankie Seat Belt Adjuster Clip
 
I always wear a seatbelt and I clip my dog's harness to it also.

Today, you can get seatbelts for your pets. I hate seeing dogs with their head out the window. All I can see is a car getting too close and clipping the dog upside his head. Spike used to allow Teddy to do that. At least I got him to stop that practice. Now he lets him sit on the arm right next to him. Still not a good practice. But it is better than letting his head hang out. :angel:
 
Always!

It is incomprehensible to me that they are not required on all school buses!

I remember the flap when seat belts were introduced. People were very vocal about how dangerous they might be or the violation of our personal freedom, etc... It seems to take the passing of a generation before these types of changes become second nature in our society.

Think about some of the other changes.

Smoking on airplanes, in public spaces, in a closed car with children, a hotel room.

Helmets for riding a bike.

Child safety seats.

The flap over power windows in cars. "we'll drown if the car goes into the lake!" :ermm:

Cell phones and texting while driving.

Smoke detectors.

Back up cameras in cars.

I must admit that it does make me sad when we have to rely on lawmakers and law enforcement officers to protect us and our families from things that should be common sense.
 
I've always worn a seat belt. I even installed the in my first car (1958 Chevrolet). Cars didn't come with seat belts back then.
 
I am watching ER Trauma. A horrific car accident victim came in and he wasn't wearing a seat belt.

I used to swear I would never wear one. I hated being so confined. But since my health plan provides all transportation, the driver will not move the vehicle until every one is belted in. Now I always have one on. In fact I grab the two ends before I even sit down. I even wear one in my daughter's car.

The only type I have trouble with is the kind that not only go across your lap, but also across you chest. A driver had to stop short and slammed on the brakes. I fell forward and ended up with a massive bruise halfway around my neck. I am lucky I wasn't decapitated. I am child size in height. So now I put that part behind me. But I still have the lap strap on. In this state, children of my height, (4'6") if they are seated in the front seat, are required by law to have a booster seat. Sorry I will walk before I go that route.

So do you always wear a seat belt? Keep in mind that most accidents happen within 25 miles of home. :angel:
Always, even if I'm only moving the car 50 yards from the stable yard to the stables car park (on private land). I always did even before it became law in the UK in 1983. It seemed like common sense.

£500 (roughly $750) fine if caught not using the seat belt if your vehicle is fitted with them. There are very few exclusions to the law over here, for example classic cars made without seat belts and certain medical conditions certified by a doctor but not including pregnancy.

It worries me when I see films and TV dramas with characters driving cars with seat belts fitted but not in use - the other week there was a cop drama on TV where the police officers were not wearing them in a car chase and in a recent re-run of "Murder She Wrote" the heroine and her friend ignored the seat belts. Very bad example being given there.

I know, I know - "If you want to send a message use Western Union".
 
I am watching ER Trauma. A horrific car accident victim came in and he wasn't wearing a seat belt.

I used to swear I would never wear one. I hated being so confined. But since my health plan provides all transportation, the driver will not move the vehicle until every one is belted in. Now I always have one on. In fact I grab the two ends before I even sit down. I even wear one in my daughter's car.

The only type I have trouble with is the kind that not only go across your lap, but also across you chest. A driver had to stop short and slammed on the brakes. I fell forward and ended up with a massive bruise halfway around my neck. I am lucky I wasn't decapitated. I am child size in height. So now I put that part behind me. But I still have the lap strap on. In this state, children of my height, (4'6") if they are seated in the front seat, are required by law to have a booster seat. Sorry I will walk before I go that route.

So do you always wear a seat belt? Keep in mind that most accidents happen within 25 miles of home. :angel:
Addie, in modern cars the fixing point for the breast strap part of the seat belt is adjustable up and down to accommodate the passenger's height. On my car you just press a button and push the mounting up or down - no tools required.
 
Addie, in modern cars the fixing point for the breast strap part of the seat belt is adjustable up and down to accommodate the passenger's height. On my car you just press a button and push the mounting up or down - no tools required.

Not available here that I am aware of. On the passenger side, the seat belt is secured at the top on the post dividing the front from the back. It is secured right there. So when I reach back to get it, the chest strap comes right across my face. The only car I have been in has been my daughter's and her car is I think about five years old. Any other vehicle I am in is a bus type van. :angel:
 
Always!

It is incomprehensible to me that they are not required on all school buses!

I must admit that it does make me sad when we have to rely on lawmakers and law enforcement officers to protect us and our families from things that should be common sense.

Young children may have a hard time in the event of a crash, undoing the seat belts. They tend to panic more than an adult. Also, they may have difficulty putting it on. Then the driver would have to leave her/his seat and do it for possibly every small child. The driver would have to pull over to the side of the road, shut the motor off and stop the vehicle if a student took theirs off. The end result would be the children would be late for school every day. And then in the event of a crash, if the bus caught fire, it would be up to the driver to make sure every child undid their belt and got off the bus safely. Specially first graders. There is a whole host of plausible reasons why the school buses don't have them.

Having said all this, I am with you on this one. But I do understand the reasons. :angel:
 
Young children may have a hard time in the event of a crash, undoing the seat belts. They tend to panic more than an adult. Also, they may have difficulty putting it on. Then the driver would have to leave her/his seat and do it for possibly every small child. The driver would have to pull over to the side of the road, shut the motor off and stop the vehicle if a student took theirs off. The end result would be the children would be late for school every day. And then in the event of a crash, if the bus caught fire, it would be up to the driver to make sure every child undid their belt and got off the bus safely. Specially first graders. There is a whole host of plausible reasons why the school buses don't have them.

Having said all this, I am with you on this one. But I do understand the reasons. :angel:

"Don't pee on my leg and tell me It's raining!" - Judith Sheindlin :ermm::ohmy::LOL:

Kids have grown up with seat belts and child safety seats since birth. I think the average kindergarten kid would think it strange to get into a vehicle without one. A few simple instructions at the beginning of the school year and a few words about the bigger kids looking out for the smaller ones is about all it should take. I guess we need to agree to disagree on this one!
 
Wearing a seat belt is so automatic to me, sometimes I use it even when I'm only backing the car out of the garage to park it in the driveway.....

I just did that yesterday. :LOL: I backed the car out onto the driveway so I could sweep the garage floor, and buckled up. :ermm: Just goes to show how ingrained it is in me to wear it at all times.

Kay, I've looked back on those days too, when we had our babies in the car with us and not secured in a carseat. Scary. My nephew died 32 years ago in a car accident, just going down the street to the mini mart with his mom. He was only 4 months old. :(
 
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