Seatbelts........PLEASE!!!!!

[JimB.]

Happy Sunday to all.

My semi annual seat belt lecture just boiled over in me again this morning.

At about 6 a.m., I had a call out on I-95 for a vehicle rollover & fire with a possible entrapped victim.

To spare to nitty - gritty details, we got on scene, found the vehicle sitting upright after rolling a few times. There were 2 people involved.

The passenger was (thankfully & luckily) wearing her seat / shoulder harness. We found her sitting in the median with the Highway Patrol. She had gotten herself out of the car after it had stopped, and other than a couple of cuts & very minor burns to her knee, she was UNINJURED.

The driver, who had apparantly fallen asleep at the wheel, was NOT wearing his safety equipment.

He was ejected from the vehicle. When the vehicle stopped rolling, it was ON TOP of him & he was deceased.

Do I post this for the shock value? Well, heck yea! (Although I could get much more graphic if I wanted to, but it's not appropriate here......).

For me. it's simple..........................

Seat belts = life (by & large)
No seat belts = injruy &/or possible death. (by & large).

I came home from work & gave my soon to be driving DD the "If I EVER catch you driving w/out a safety harness, you are GROUNDED FOR LIFE!!!" lecture (again).

3 quick lessons (& jim begging to follow):
1. seat belts
2. DON"T try to drive all day & night long to get someplace. Take your time, rest, and you will probably get there in 1 piece
3. For those of you driving down to FL on I-95, please be careful!!
Duval County (Jacksonville) has a ton of road work underway
for the 2005 Super Bowl. St. Johns County is 6-laning the
entire length of the county. They are both a mess. Traffic is
way too heavy & way too fast for the conditions.

If you have any questions, re-read lesson #1.

 

[Dan Murphy]

Thanks, Jim, you said it very well. Seat belts DO save lives. Simple.

 

[BounceyOne]

For your next lecture could you please add car/booster seats for children and babies?

 

[binny]

Hey youre preaching to the choir here, my friend, a seatbelt saved my life in a rollover accident in 92.
I NEVER drive, or let anyone ride in my car, without a belt!

sorry you had to witness that today

 

[doxdogy]

Originally posted by JimB.
3. For those of you driving down to FL on I-95, please be
careful!!
Duval County (Jacksonville) has a ton of road work underway
for the 2005 Super Bowl. St. Johns County is 6-laning the
entire length of the county. They are both a mess. Traffic is
way too heavy & way too fast for the conditions.

As I am JimB's neighbor in Jacksonville, I can definitely tell you that he is telling the truth. The police are out and about and will give drivers not slowing down around the construction zone a ticket. The driving can be stop and go quite a bit around the construction areas. So, please be careful driving through our fair city. Edited to add this, if you are stopped for speeding and a passenger is not wearing a seatbelt they will get a ticket and if you are the parent I imagine you will receive the ticket. Happened to our friend once. She wasn't wearing hers and my husband was and she got the ticket for not wearing a seatbelt.

 

[Silky]

Thank you for the reminder. No one rides in my car without a belt

 

[aahmom1]

Originally posted by BounceyOne
For your next lecture could you please add car/booster seats for children and babies?

Ditto!! If there is one thing that truly drives me over the bend, it's seeing kids standing in the car or a baby in the front seat. What does it take for people to get a clue??!!

 

[damo]

And also add the parent with a cigarette in one hand and the windows closed. I'm sure they make their kids eat their vegetables though.

 

[Pooh93]

Thank you for the reminder. My DH and I have arguments about this. He doesn't always wear his. I guess he thinks he's invincible. I hope he never finds out differently.

 

[aahmom1]

Originally posted by damo
And also add the parent with a cigarette in one hand and the windows closed. I'm sure they make their kids eat their vegetables though.

My parents used to do that to us when we were little, I can still feel that nauseus feeling in my stomach.

 

[UncleKyle]

I feel naked without mine and I yell at everyone when they get in my car to put their's on

 

[JoNo]

I ALWAYS wear mine, even if I'm just going up the block. Almost everyone that rides with me doesn't wear them I tell them to put them on and if they don't & we get into an accident, I'll be the one grieving b/c they were stupid enough not to wear them....

 

[bumcat]

What does it take for people to get a clue?

Unfortunately it takes a death.

I dont let anyone in my car unless they strap in, even coworkers. One guy refuses to ride with me which is fine with me.

 

[Pop Daddy]

I dont wear them, I know I should

 

[charlie,nj]

Thank you Jim for the work you do and for the reminder.

I am amazed at the number of cars I see with little kids standing in the backseat. Get a ******* car seat!

 

[bumcat]

Pop Daddy - You should wear them if not for yourself then do it for your wife and daughter, they might want you around a long time... my husband use to wouldn't wear them either, I think he finally did so I would shut up,

 

[4greatboys]

I call 911 everytime I see someone driving holding their baby or having little kids unsecured. If they want to kill or maime themselves go ahead but the little ones deserve to be protected.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

I was in a car accident two years ago....I know for a fact that seat belts save lives. Our car didn't roll, but we hit someone at 55 miles an hour. We were told had seatbelts not been on we could have been through the windsheild.

 

[jfulcer]

I don't know about you guys, but for some reason my van doesn't move unless all passengers (adults and children) are sitting with their seatbealts on.

DD#1 has lived with this 'fact' and DD#2 will learn it also when old enough. Adults laugh at me until I sit there and don't move until they put them on.

 

[peg2001]

It is amazing how attitudes have changed. When I grew up, not THAT long ago, no one in the family used seat belts and we had never heard of safety seats. We piled 2 adults and 7 kids into a van with 7 seat belts but no one wore one. One brother routinely stood behind the passenger seat.

Now, I feel naked without my seatbelt on and my kids know that riding outside of their safety seat is not an option. I have a sister who still resists wearing a seatbelt because in her words "It is uncomfortable." She doesn't ride with me unless she is uncomfortable.

Peggy