Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Well, I am sympathetic to that teenager just as you are.
However, you have it backwards. Seat belts don't come into play until after there is an accident. Accidents are caused by driver error. The major reason these people are dead is because of a mistake made by a driver. We don't have to presume every time we go for a ride there will be a life-threatening accident.
It may be a driver that is young, put in bad place by brain dead parents, fatigued, and has little experience driving at night.
The carelessness in allowing the vehicle to roll over though is the primary cause of the deaths of these five people.
Actually, accepting that fact--along with the reality his parents pushed him into--is an important part of that young man's healing process. Its tough. My heart goes out to him. However, it doesn't change what happened.
You're wrong. The reason the car was in an accident was because of a mistake made by the driver. The reason people are dead is because they weren't wearing seat belts and were thrown from the car.
Wear a seat belt in this instance - you WILL survive.
Don't wear a seat belt in this instance - you will NOT survive.
I DO presume that every time I go for a ride, there will be a life-threatening accident. Which is why I wear my seat belt ALWAYS.
If the fact that the car was in an accident caused deaths, they would all be dead.
You're wrong. The reason the car was in an accident was because of a mistake made by the driver. The reason people are dead is because they weren't wearing seat belts and were thrown from the car.
Wear a seat belt in this instance - you WILL survive.
Don't wear a seat belt in this instance - you will NOT survive.
I DO presume that every time I go for a ride, there will be a life-threatening accident. Which is why I wear my seat belt ALWAYS.
If the fact that the car was in an accident caused deaths, they would all be dead.
There are a number of simplifications contained here.
It is true that some people were thrown from the car and did not survive. It is true that the driver was not thrown from the car because he was wearing his seat belt and did survive. It may have had more to do with where they were sitting than the seat belts themselves. My understanding is that one person who was thrown survived.
In any event, seat belts increase your chance of survival in an accident and reduce the chance of serious injury. This is a far cry from saying you will always survive an accident if you wear a seat belt. At slow speeds, fatalities among those who wear belts are very low. However, at high speeds--freeway speeds--the laws of physics become more daunting. Seat belts help, but do not guarantee survival. What would guarantee survival is not being in an accident in the first place.
This report from the CDC backs up what I am saying. Seat belt usage reduces collision fatalities by 45% and serious injuries by 50%. It does not prevent them altogether.
I wear seat belts when I ride in a car. I do it out of habit and because wearing a belt is not uncomfortable. I don't do it because I think or imagine I will be in a major accident every time I go out for a ride. In 39 years of operating a motor vehicle, I have been in approximately ten collisions. I would only term one of those collisions as being potentially life threatening. That's one in thirty-nine years.
It is wrong to compare wearing a safety belt with the carelessness that causes an accident in the first place. One may help you survive an accident. The other would prevent it in the first place.
Last edited by markg91359; 11-24-2014 at 06:33 PM..
The bottom line to me is that due to the irresponsible choices made by the parents, they and three of their children are dead. I do not blame the teenage driver - he will blame himself enough over the decades without me adding to the burden. I am sickened by the choices these parents made.
I saw that. it was report that a 16 year old was driving. Apparently it what is called mystery accident (no evident cause) and he might have just fallen asleep.
16 year olds driving cars is a lot more about being legal than it is about being a generally good idea. The statistics are not lying.
The trick in life is to know the difference between a learning curve and a learning brick wall. On learning curve you learn from your mistakes. With a learning brick wall someone else learns from your mistakes.
Suv's are prone to rollover. That's a fact. They are a danger to people in regular vehicles and to the occupants that are in them. Why they don't make them with lower ground clearance(you don't need high ground clearance to drive on pavement)is beyond me.
SUVs and pickups are Detroit's way of getting around EPA fuel mileage requirements for large vehicles. SUVs and pickups have less stringent requirements due to their size and manufacturing category. Families appreciate them for their power, size and comfort that would otherwise be unaffordable or unobtainable otherwise. That's why there are no large low sedans and station wagons anymore. And why this family was in a high center of gravity deathtrap (in the event of an emergency response with the steering wheel).
As to why these parents weren't buckled in? Why they didn't insist the kids were buckled in? Why they were letting a new driver have responsibility for their lives?
It's the parents fault. You can't let a 16 year old, who is inexperienced drive a long distance and at night, and not wearing seat belts or putting them on your kids is like murder.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
