OT: Do you wear your seatbelt?

[liquidtiger720]

I do...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6305488934079810351&q=seatbelt

[Paul in NZ]

i always do...I cannot understand anyone who doesnt.Its become such a habit i sometimes have to stop myself putting it on just to move the car out to wash it!Seat belt wearing is compulsory here...for ages

[Zeuk in Oz]

Apart from being law here, you'd be mad not to !
They weren't just designed to enhance ladies' busts ! :p

[mattyb]

absolutely! i dont move the car if everybody is not strapped in. unless were up the farm and just cruisin about. in OZ during holiday season if u r the driver and are caught driving with a passenger unrestrained u lose ur licence on the spot. wingman can confirm this!

[Mitch90535im]

Of course. You would have to be a total dumb ass not to.

[mholbrook]

You're crazy right! All you need to have done is to have been a passenger in my 1998 Ford F150 during the afternoon of January 23rd when I was hit hard in the door by a Chevy 4x4 2500 pickup truck who totalled a Ford Ranger (airbag went off), then hit me, then hit another Ranger, then hit a Mazda B2000 and subsequently went into a field. The insurance company totalled my truck and the Ranger in front of me. The driver of the Ranger and I got a free ride to the hospital courtesy of Allstate Insurance.

Now why would you want to be confined and not wear a seatbelt.

[SharkmanBMW]

I dated a dumbass girl who flipped her car 4 times without a seatbelt... she was lucky to live.
Glass in her face and head, she was half hanging out the window when the car stopped. If the traffic had not stopped she would have been crushed for sure!
If I wasn't belted in my accident, I too would have been dead.

Not only during a crash, but any high speed manoeuvre or big swerve can throw you out of the driver position if you aren't belted, then you are screwed for sure!

[angrypancake]

my seatbelt broke my collarbone when i hit that tree, and i'm damn glad i was wearing it. my father's best friend was killed a number of years ago, rear ended a semi on the way home from the store, wasn't belted. I'll never forget that funeral....

[Jay 535i]

There aren't many things stupider than driving without a seatbelt. Running from the cops in a clapped-out SUV might be one of them, though.

When my wife totalled her S6 last year we were both extremely grateful for the seatbelts, and the airbags. Her only injury (besides her pride) was a swollen nose from the airbag. I hate to think what would've happened without the seatbelt.

I can't believe there are still people ignorant of the virtues of belts.

[angrypancake]

i'm waiting to see if someone actually says no, and gets toasted for it

[calmloki]

I dated a dumbass girl who flipped her car 4 times without a seatbelt... she was lucky to live.
Glass in her face and head, she was half hanging out the window when the car stopped. If the traffic had not stopped she would have been crushed for sure!
If I wasn't belted in my accident, I too would have been dead.

Not only during a crash, but any high speed manoeuvre or big swerve can throw you out of the driver position if you aren't belted, then you are screwed for sure!

Yup and Yup. Datsun SPL1600 - belt let me stay in position and keep driving just a tiny bit longer - believe it kept me from going off the mountain coming down from Los Alamos NM about 3AM. '67 Ford Mustang - belt kept me in the seat as it went upside down and spinning down a gravel road.
Tom Walrod

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Always always always. During drives I periodically re-snug the belt to be sure it is going to protect me, especially in heavy coat season. Plus, once the car is warm I'll open the coat and re-set the belt on my indoor clothes for better safety.

I won't move my car unless all passengers are belted. You'd be surprised at the number of people who've said WTF when I so demand. Belt or walk is my motto.

[Torque]

I always wear the seatbelt. It has become such a habit that I put it on before starting the car; and many times I put it on even if I'm just moving the car out of the driveway; that's how big of a habit it has become for me. And I like it.

[Jay 535i]

Always always always. During drives I periodically re-snug the belt to be sure it is going to protect me, especially in heavy coat season. Plus, once the car is warm I'll open the coat and re-set the belt on my indoor clothes for better safety.

I won't move my car unless all passengers are belted. You'd be surprised at the number of people who've said WTF when I so demand. Belt or walk is my motto.

Ditto on all counts.

I feel naked without it. Driving without a belt just doesn't feel right anymore, like I've forgotton my pants.

[Alexlind123]

I have never NOT worn my seatbelt whien driving or riding in a car. I feel somehow naked when moving my car out of the garage to wash it. As a small child my parents taught me to always wear a seatbelt.

[Anthony (M5 in Calgary)]

Ditto on all counts.

I feel naked without it. Driving without a belt just doesn't feel right anymore, like I've forgotton my pants.

But... http://www.persiabusiness.com/members/features/jokes/jokes.asp?command=list&r=34

[SharkmanBMW]

During drives I periodically re-snug the belt to be sure it is going to protect me, especially in heavy coat season. Plus, once the car is warm I'll open the coat and re-set the belt on my indoor clothes for better safety.




I do this constantly, I broke my face in the crash because I was wearing a thick winter coat that absorbed a lot of the slack in the belt, so i moved forward enough to hit the dash that was crushed up to me. Had I been wearing just a Tshirt, I may have not moved enough to break the bones at all.

I try to drive with no jacket, or at least snug the belt every minute, you never know, I have felt the pain, and I really don't want more.

[SharkmanBMW]

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/runoveraccident.html

I did not see the guy fly out until this clip.... holy crap, then he gets hit at full speed by another car!
how did I miss that?!

[632 Regal]

yea, gonna take a world of recovery for that dude.

[Anton CH.]

In the city I prefer to have the belt off just for easier monuverability. However, I always wear one as the police actually enforce it here. But at highways speeds you do have to be a moron not to wear one.

[onewhippedpuppy]

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/runoveraccident.html

I did not see the guy fly out until this clip.... holy crap, then he gets hit at full speed by another car!
how did I miss that?!

Holy hell, I didn't see that either! One more idiot who won't be consuming the taxpayers money in court, poetic justice I suppose.

I don't wear a seatbelt, seatbelts are for sissies.:) Sorry, somebody had to throw that out in this thread.

I always wear mine, and after five years of my nagging my wife has gotten to where it's automatic for her as well. She grew up in a tiny town and spent most of her time at 20 MPH, her parents never felt it necessary, which I give them crap for. Unfortunately they don't bother to slip it on when they hit the highway either. I had a friend nearly killed when he rolled his car and was ejected from the sunroof, and the car landed on him. Ouch. The cops said the rain saturated ground and his skinny frame saved his life, the car just squished him into the ground.

[Cactuar]

I always wear my seatbelt and the car won't move until every passenger has it on too. Just common sense...

[tdgard]

Always. I think that's the clip from Atlanta. 400S to 285E. Jerk was running from police after trying to pass a bad check at a mall.

[Marshy]

Always - and I had my bacon saved as a kid by being restrained in a child seat in the back of a car. Head on collision...

What I absolutely cannot get my head around is the amount of people in the UK who let their own kids go unrestrained in the back of the car. Of course, the parents are belted in the front. Do they not know what will happen to their kid, standing in the back with a hand on either front seat, in a "big stop" situation? The total lack of a single clue leaves me slack jawed...

When I was much younger, about 18, a friend's brother used to moan when I'd tell him to wear a seatbelt in the back of my car. His problem? He didn't "look cool" wearing a seatbelt. Sheesh.

[Robin-535im]

You should try Jeff's autocross trick. Move the seat back a few inches, make the belt tight and yank it to get the slack out. Then move the seat forward until it holds you in real firm. It's a hoot. Hard to breathe if you do it too tight.

[SharkmanBMW]

What I absolutely cannot get my head around is the amount of people who let their own kids go unrestrained in the back of the car. Of course, the parents are belted in the front. Do they not know what will happen to their kid, standing in the back with a hand on either front seat, in a "big stop" situation? The total lack of a single clue leaves me slack jawed...

.


no kidding,... they should be criminally responsible if their kids are injured in a crash and unrestrained too.
Not only is it unsafe for the kid, but puts strain on the driver having to keep control on the loose kid!
strap them down!

[billb]

...Dad and I "restored" a '52 Ford when I was in high school. One night around July 4th, when I was around 18, I had picked up my girlfriend for a night hanging out with friends, in the old Ford. Dad had installed lap belts in the car (all steel dash). As we were tooling around town, we came to a stop sign, with a major 2-lane highway passing left and right. I looked left, looked right, then looked left again. When I pulled out, the inside of the car filled with headlights. I jabbed the gas hard as I could (351W w/C4 auto) and tried to dart into the neighborhood that was about 50 feet from the intersection. The Buick LeSabre that was doing 60 in a 35 steered right into the back of me, caught the right rear quarter, and pushed me into a 10 inch pine tree, centering the bumper and pushing the radiator back into the engine (which was still running). I shut off the engine, unbuckled my seat belt and helped my girlfriend unbuckle hers, and we exited the car through the driver's seat. The right side of the car was pushed in 12 inches.

Saved both of our bacons that night, and she had no ill effects healthwise. I think mentally she was rattled for a while, and ended up breaking up with me for a guy with an Acura (w/airbags). Of course, this was about 4 years later...

Wear your seatbelts. My Model A doesn't have them, and I sweat every time I'm in the car, but there's really not a good place to attach them in the car.

[DanDombrowski]

The last autocross I went to, some guy in an M3 came over to my car (the only other BMW there) and showed me that trick. Neat.

[1995 525i]

I do...

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6305488934079810351&q=seatbelt

Always...was in a bad accident in 3rd grade. The truck I as in didn't have seatbelts and I was nearly thrown from the vehicle when we t-boned a van.

[DaCan23]

One day I was at this glass place waiting for my windshield repair. Their shop had full glass front and was like 3 feet from the curb. I saw this mom drive by w/o seatbelt and 2 kids in back jumpin around w/o seatbelt... I was amazed so I began looking at every car for about 20 mins... and surprisingly at least 33% did not have seatbelt on.... and there was not a pattern... nice cars, crap cars, men, women, kids, white, asian, indian, black, trucks, commercial..... well actually almost all commercial vehicles the person was not wearing it..

[rot535i]

I started flying lessons at age 16. With the habit of buckling up in the plane, wearing a seatbelt just became automatic as I learned to drive. It is also the major factor in protecting my wife last November. She says she didn't even hit the air bag.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/resyt/DSCF0060.jpg

[1995 525i]

I started flying lessons at age 16. With the habit of buckling up in the plane, wearing a seatbelt just became automatic as I learned to drive. It is also the major factor in protecting my wife last November. She says she didn't even hit the air bag.
http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e331/resyt/DSCF0060.jpg

Did the egg test with someone once who said seatbelts weren't necessary. Had them hold a tray with an egg. They were wearing their seatbelt. I accelerated to about 40 then slammed on the brakes. The egg took off like an escape pod and slammed into the windshield. It was quite effective. Egg blew up and I turned to see that my point had gotten through. Gonna have the same experiment with my kids when they are old enough to understand. Inertia ain't no joke folks and it doesn't discriminate.

Michael

[SharkmanBMW]

Inertia ain't no joke folks and it doesn't discriminate.

Michael


My face can attest to that!

[angrypancake]

http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/1236/sayonara525i0075th.jpg
http://img122.imageshack.us/img122/4599/sayonara525i0114oy.jpg
http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/1693/sayonara525i0035lb.jpg

[SharkmanBMW]

what the hell hit that?

[angrypancake]

a tree! look at the front wheel.... there was wood embedded in the caliper.

[mikell]

I won't move my car unless all passengers are belted. You'd be surprised at the number of people who've said WTF when I so demand. Belt or walk is my motto.

A friend of mine was killed when ejected from the back seat of a minivan that was spun around in a collision. If she'd been belted, she would have lived to hold her grandchildren.

[Kakaire]

Always buckleup.