Do you wear your seatbelt?

[CoopCrazy]

Myself and my sister wouldnt be here today without seatbelts... Hit a tree head on going 70mph, our babysitter decided to take the keys out of the ignition while driving just to "See what would happen" five minutes before hand none of us had seatbelts on but a police officer passed us and so we all put them on...

 

[Penturner]

I wear my seat belt if I am with my wife. Don't want to listen to it. But not when I am at work. I don't like other people telling me how to stay safe. Certainly no the government. Let them get anything else they do right, then I might be interested in what they have to say. I believe that seat belts are more likely to get you injured or killed in a serious accident over 30 MPH. Most accidents under 25 MPH do not result in injuries. The only place that numbers say you are safer with a belt is between 25 and 30 MPH. Here is a real life example of what a seat belt will do for you.
10 people in a van that rolls 150 feet down a mountain side. 5 are ejected from the vehicle 5 are held in vehicle by seat belts. In one case the seat belt failed at some point and the driver was thrown into the passenger seat. Had he been held in place he would have been pierced by a piece of the windshield frame through the chest. the driver is also the only person inside the vehicle that was not seriously injured. All 5 people thrown out of the vehicle walked away with no injuries at all or minor scrapes and bruises. The remaining 4 that where held int he vehicle all had serious injuries ranging from skull lacerations to broken backs, arms, and wrists.
10 people 6 not with belts or belts failed all walked away. 4 that where held by belts spent a min of 24 hours in the hospital from their injuries and one never completely recovered.

The real miracle is that no one was killed. But it does show that reality says way different than statistics about seat belts being safe. I have also had to save more people from being trapped in their cars by their seat belts than from accident injuries. Did you know that you cannot release your set belt if the car is on its side or for any reason your body weight is against it? Happens very often due to an accident. if your car is turned over. You cannot get out. Think what that means if you roll into a ditch full of water.

I think it is strange also that seat belts only keep you safer in accidents that would not have been likely to harm you in the first place. Less than 25 mph. I see only one case which a seat belt does actually prevent injuries. If you are rear ended. and even then it only protects you from injuries from being thrown forward. It will do nothing for the whip lash.
Seat belts are not safer, You will just be dead or injured for different reasons. It has been proven that the seat belt itself will cause injuries you would not otherwise have had.

 

[halo]

Always wear my seatbelt. Always. Ive seen, and been in, too many situations where seatbelts saved lives.

If you don't wear it, one day you'll wish you did. Or you'll wish a loved one did, if they don't.

 

[Mattemma]

I always have,and the car does not move if everyone is not buckled.Shoot if I could I would put safety helmets on the kids too!
My dh is into a car for the fuel savings and perhaps the gadgets,but all I care about is that the car hold up well during a crash.
With cell/texters and aggressive driving I KNOW it is just a matter of time before someone hits us.

My question with the seatbelt is this:

Is it better to lock it or leave it loose?When you buckle you can pull the strap out all the way and as you let it roll back it locks in place.Is it better to have that strap tight on you,or to have that movement? I don't think the driver seatbelt locks,but all the others do.I was thinking that this is more for carseats than for using it to lock tight on a person.

 

[pbjmaker]

mom'sfolly :

I'm really pleased to see the number who always wear their seatbelts.

At my nearly nine-year-old's physical last summer I asked the doctor what the height and weight recommendations were. The doctor said 80 pounds and 4' 9"; I turned to my then 50-55 pound son and said he would be the only 7th grader still in a booster. We laughed, but he never said boo about not being in his booster. He's made the height cut off and is still under for weight, but is out of the booster now.

My daughter did not reach those measurements until her freshman year

We used to tease her that she would be the only one in drivers ed in a booster seat.

She is turning 16 in three weeks and is only 5 ft (barely) and about 100lbs. She was always my tough one to contain in a car seat/booster seat. Can't even count the number of times she would escape as we were driving down the road and I would just have to pull over. (Yes the straps were properly adjusted, she is a houdini child)

Although she always buckles up now, I worry that once she is driving on her own she may not be so diligent about it, nor want to make her friends buckle.​

 

[ranchhand]

We always wear it. Both our Dads worked for large corporations that stressed safety on the job and off. My Dad was USCG as well, which really made him Mr. Safety. He was the first in our town to have seatbelts installed in our old Chevy wagon, way back when.

But, to toss in a wrench, how many have functional fire extinguishers in their vehicle? Seat belt cutter/window breaker? Orange safety vest, first aid kits? Jumper cables, reflective triangles or flares? Working flashlights? All kinds of stuff that I keep stored in my truck, that's the short list!

I told ya, I grew up with safety drummed into my skull!

 

[sourland]

Several years ago with my wife driving, we were rear ended, spun into oncoming traffic, broadsided (on my side) and pushed 100 ft into a parking lot. The car was totaled, both front seats broke like a recliner, and my head put out the windshield. I was not wearing a seatbelt. We both walked away from this without any major injuries. I figure that God, my Guardian Angel, whatever was working overtime. I'm done with tempting fate. I wear my seat belt at all times now.

 

[BlackBart]

All the time, huge fine if you get caught not wearing one.

 

[Liana]

Quote:
I grew up in a state with a mandatory seatbelt law. Even after moving to a state without, I still use one 100% of the time, whether I'm the driver or a passenger. Over the years, I've been in a few fender-benders and that just solidified my resolve to always belt up. My current car beeps at me nonstop if I should happen to forget!

Yes, I have a fire extinguisher in the trunk, as well as a first aid kit (and training to use it), jumper battery (gets recharged 2x/year), triangle, blanket, extra wiper fluid, old rags, etc. My belt cutter/window breaker stays in front within easy arm's reach. Flashlight is on my person, with a spare in the glovebox.

 

[chickenzoo]

Seatbelts can be uncomfortable in some cars........... but being dead if far more uncomfortable......... so I always wear mine. In my vehicles I forget I am even wearing it, just automatic behavior now.