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.
Didn't you post that there was no shoulder where the tropper pulled you over?
Yes I did say that, but I had to drive for awhile to find a shoulder and it was barely a shoulder. But it's the best I could find. But we were still both still at risk from the speeding traffic and narrow shoulder.
Read...what? That people have been decapitated by seat belts? I don't doubt that you have read that type of misinformation. I am asking if you can post a credible source for that information. Can you?
If that's the case,why don't cars no longer have lap belts?
I have read too many conflicting info.
I think the reason cars don't have lap belts because it harmed more than it helped. It caused internal injuries in the abdominal area.
Modern cars do have lap belts, as they are combined with the shoulder harnesses. Yes, lap belts (by themselves) did have the potential to cause abdominal injuries, but most of those injuries resulted from people who did not fasten the belt tightly enough or low enough. A lap belt that was secured tightly across the hip area had very little chance of causing abdominal injury. But...the folks who kept those lap belts loose and/or placed them over their belly, were likely to incur some serious abdominal injuries. Again...a case of improper use of the device.
Incidentally, the reason why modern cars have belts that essentially combine a lap belt and a shoulder harness is that use of just a shoulder harness (back in the '70s, they were two separate entities on many cars) led to what was called, "submarining". This was a situation where people slipped down in their seat upon impact, and the shoulder harness came into contact with the neck--with spinal fractures resulting in some cases.
If those old-fashioned separate lap belt and shoulder harness were both used--as they were supposed to be--"submarining" did not happen. That is why your car combines a lap belt and a shoulder harness into one device.
Modern cars do have lap belts, as they are combined with the shoulder harnesses. Yes, lap belts (by themselves) did have the potential to cause abdominal injuries, but most of those injuries resulted from people who did not fasten the belt tightly enough or low enough. A lap belt that was secured tightly across the hip area had very little chance of causing abdominal injury. But...the folks who kept those lap belts loose and/or placed them over their belly, were likely to incur some serious abdominal injuries. Again...a case of improper use of the device.
Incidentally, the reason why modern cars have belts that essentially combine a lap belt and a shoulder harness is that use of just a shoulder harness (back in the '70s, they were two separate entities on many cars) led to what was called, "submarining". This was a situation where people slipped down in their seat upon impact, and the shoulder harness came into contact with the neck--with spinal fractures resulting in some cases.
If those old-fashioned separate lap belt and shoulder harness were both used--as they were supposed to be--"submarining" did not happen. That is why your car combines a lap belt and a shoulder harness into one device.
I'm not sure,to be honest.
I can say this: I bet 99% of people don't wear seatbelts properly.
An ill fitting seatbelt may just be as bad as wearing no seatbelt,but I would need to research it.
I'm not sure,to be honest.
I can say this: I bet 99% of people don't wear seatbelts properly.
An ill fitting seatbelt may just be as bad as wearing no seatbelt,but I would need to research it.
I don't think that 99% of the population is that stupid. The officers who have commented in this thread can give you a much better number than I could. I can Google some stats but I don't live it.
Last week my son and a friend were in an auto accident. OK, it was a pretty lame, low speed accident * but * my son and his friend were both wearing their seatbelts and the air bags deployed. Not even a bruise. I don't think that they checked to make sure that the lower part of the belt was over the hip. I think that it's better to be given a chance than to take a chance.
That's not the case with me yesterday. The trooper specifically said he is part of the seat belt enforcement and saw I didn't put on my seat belt until he put on his lights on. He specifically pulled me over for that reason.
He was out there with a mission to get people not wearing seat belts. "Click it ot Ticket" They are enforcing that.
LOL. So you KNEW you were supposed to be wearing a seat belt, and on top of that, you humiliated yourself by letting the cop watch you scramble to click it. Should have hung onto your pride and left it off. You got the same ticket anyway.
My mother was in an accident when she was a teenager (back in the 60's) where one of the three girls in the car was wearing a seat belt and the car caught fire and her friend was killed because no one could get her out of the car in time. She did not wear a seat belt for many years (I don't ever recall her wearing one when I was a child) but she does now. It took a long time for her to get that scenario out of her head and realize that the chances of that happening are slim to none compared to the chances of her getting seriously hurt for not wearing one but after witnessing that horrific event I can't say I blame her for the way she felt.
I had the opposite happen - I lost a friend who was ejected through the windshield and decapitated on Route 4 when she wasn't wearing a seat belt. I was about 18 - 19 at the time and that's what made me start wearing mine regularly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tahiti
I can understand why your mom would feel that way. I'm glad she's ok and is now using a seatbelt (which are probably better designed than in the 60's).
My thoughts exactly. The seat belts in the 60s weren't something you could "click". Sometimes they were the type of clasp that you had to thread the belt through, then you pressed one side of the clasp over the other. That's what came to mind as I read your mother's story. They would not have been easy to open quickly in an emergency. I can remember being a kid and getting stuck in those seat belts. They were usually in the back seat.
My thoughts exactly. The seat belts in the 60s weren't something you could "click". Sometimes they were the type of clasp that you had to thread the belt through, then you pressed one side of the clasp over the other. That's what came to mind as I read your mother's story. They would not have been easy to open quickly in an emergency. I can remember being a kid and getting stuck in those seat belts. They were usually in the back seat.
I didn't know that - that explains her story. I never really asked any questions because she didn't like to talk about it (obviously) but I did think if the good Samaritans that stopped to help could get through the driver's door why couldn't they just push the button to release it and drag her out? Now it makes much more sense.
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.