Why Don't People Wear Seatbelts?

[Chicago526]

My DH hates to wear it. I make him wear it when he's in my car and I'm driving, and he usually wears it when he's driving his car and I'm along for the ride (I think it's because he doesn't want to spend the whole trip with me giving him dirty looks). But I'm pretty sure he doesn't wear it when I'm not around. Both he and his mother survived seperate accidents where they went through the windsheild and sustained only minor injuries, so they both feel they aren't nessesary for adults (they both feel kids should be in car seats or buckled in, go figure!) and that seat belts cause more deaths than they save.

I love my DH and my MIL but they are both idiots!

 

[ducklite]

All of the non-seatbelt wearers I've talked to give the "what if the car is on fire/underwater" excuse- that they would be able to get out of the car if they had to without a seatbelt on. I find that such a silly excuse- how incredibly small of a percentage of car accidents involve the passengers having to exit a burning or submerged car??!! Some people just won't listen to reason. As Camicar said, I guess we need organ donors, and these folks can fill that need...

Get them one of these

and shut them up about the "what if's"

We carry one in each car.

At least organ donors don't need to pass IQ tests...

 

[freckles and boo]

Why don't people wear seatbelts? Let's see...

The "cool" excuse -
Nobody wears a seatbelt. (at least around here the teen drivers are immortal. Just ask them.)

The "comfort" excuse -
Waaa waaa waaa - my seatbelt isn't comfortable.

The "big government" excuse -
I don't like them telling me what to do. My personal rights are being violated. I should be able to fly out the windshield and have the car run over me if I want to.

The "air bag" excuse -
That is why I bought a car with six airbags.

The "safer without one" excuse -
If I am ejected before the car rolls off the cliff (we have a lot of cliffs here in Chicago) then I stand a better chance.

Whatever. I wear mine and won't put the car in gear unless everyone else is buckled up. I can't control those who have no sense of self-preservation. I do wish I could smack some of the parents who don't buckle up their kids, though.

 

[yasmina]

Dh never used to wear one. We used to live within 2 miles of work, shopping, banks, every place we would have to go. Me, I got in the habit as soon as I started to drive of always putting on my seatbelt. I feel naked in the car w/o one.

Once we moved to our current location, 40-50 min. away from work, I told him he had to wear his seatbelt to and from work because we drive on some roads most likely for accidents.

Once the girls got old enough, they would nag him about putting on his seatbelt, even for short trips (and without my prompting!).

I once had a good friend in college. She got in my car for a long distance, highway trip, and when I told her to put on her seatbelt, she said "why, don't you trust your driving?" I could have smacked her, but said back "no, I don't trust the other a**holes on the road!"

 

[jme829]

My bil died almost 4 yrs ago in a one car accident..He was drinking and speeding and didn't have his belt on. He swerved to avoid a car in the other lane, overcorrected, flipped , got ejected , truck landed on his head and he was killed instantly. EMTS said a seat belt would have saved him . He was 33 yrs old and left a 13 and 15 yr old plus his wife (my sis). Thank God he didn't take anyone with him.

The week before thanksgiving this year, a sophomore at DD14 HS was killed basically the same, dad swerved, overcorrected, car flipped, kid ejected died instantly---NO BELT....dad walked away with minor injuries.

BUCKLE UP !!!!!

 

[Mickey~Mouse]

I do not wear one, for several reasons. #1. I have a every bad panic disorder, and that is where my panic happens to be, I FREAK OUT if I try to wear one! 2. One of the times I DID wear one, someone ran a stop sign and hit me. If I was not wearing one I would have been ok, but instead I now have a bad shoulder due to a very bad torn rotator cuff! 3. I have had 3 different friends in 3 different accidents who if they WERE wearing a belt they would have been DEAD on impact! They were eject in 2 of the cases which saved there lives.

I now live, what will be will be! It is my choice...and I chose NOT to wear one, for the above reasons!

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

All of the non-seatbelt wearers I've talked to give the "what if the car is on fire/underwater" excuse- that they would be able to get out of the car if they had to without a seatbelt on. I find that such a silly excuse...

That is a silly excuse. I was in a horrible accent in June and I was upside down and I was able to get out of the car without any problems. I just pressed the button to release my seatbelt. In fact, out of the three of us in the car, I was the only one with injuries and you should have seen the car. Crushed like a tin can.

The "cool" excuse -
Nobody wears a seatbelt. (at least around here the teen drivers are immortal. Just ask them.

While I agree with much of what you said, this one really hasn't been my experience. It seems pretty automatic for younger people to put on their seatbelts. While there are no doubt exceptions, it's usually older people that I've had a problem with. You practically have to beg my mother to put on her seatbelt. I think it's because she comes from a time when it wearing a seatbelt wasn't the law.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I now live, what will be will be! It is my choice...and I chose NOT to wear one, for the above reasons!

I don't know where you come from but here it is not actually a personal choice. It is against the law to not wear a seatbelt.

 

[cteddiesgirl]

I am a paraplegic due to a car accident. I wasn't wearing a seatbelt either. They told me if I was, the accident most likely would have killed me.

Still, I always wear a seatbelt now.

Yeah. I wear one when I have to. (IE: if I'm in the back seat, I won't wear one).
I don't like wearing them because of they way they fit me. The lap belt is fine, but the upper part bugs me. I'm so short and even the ones that adjust don't go low enough. They are always around my neck and not in the middle of my chest. In an accident, I can either end up getting strangled or having a heart attack or both. I do have those clips to adjust them better, but they always slip.
That, and I can't move much at all.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

I do not wear one, for several reasons. #1. I have a every bad panic disorder, and that is where my panic happens to be, I FREAK OUT if I try to wear one! 2. One of the times I DID wear one, someone ran a stop sign and hit me. If I was not wearing one I would have been ok, but instead I now have a bad shoulder due to a very bad torn rotator cuff! 3. I have had 3 different friends in 3 different accidents who if they WERE wearing a belt they would have been DEAD on impact! They were eject in 2 of the cases which saved there lives.

I now live, what will be will be! It is my choice...and I chose NOT to wear one, for the above reasons!

You're right your choice except when the police give you a ticket. I say as long as you're only hurting yourself go for it. Though I think 2 of your 3 reasons are a load of bull.
Now for me & my family we always buckle up no matter what.

 

[Cantw8]

Get them one of these

and shut them up about the "what if's"

We carry one in each car.

At least organ donors don't need to pass IQ tests...

Well I might be dumb for not wearing a seatbelt but I do know the difference between a coconut and a cantaloupe so I figure I'm ahead of the game

 

[Acklander]

People don't wear seatbelts because deep down people believe that bad things happen to other people.

The thing that surprises me is how many people have faith that seatbelts is going to make much of a difference. Sure, there are times where it saves a life just like there are times where not wearing a seatbelt saves a life. But wearing a seatbelt isn't some type of magic protection that will safely get you thru a bad accident.

Also, I wonder why the newspapers only report half the story. example: when people die in an accident they mention those that weren't wearing a seat belt, but then never mention those that do wear a seatbelt and died anyway. And they never, ever mention those that lived because they weren't wearing a seatbelt even though it occasionally does happen.

 

[freckles and boo]

People don't wear seatbelts because deep down people believe that bad things happen to other people.

The thing that surprises me is how many people have faith that seatbelts is going to make much of a difference. Sure, there are times where it saves a life just like there are times where not wearing a seatbelt saves a life. But wearing a seatbelt isn't some type of magic protection that will safely get you thru a bad accident.

Also, I wonder why the newspapers only report half the story. example: when people die in an accident they mention those that weren't wearing a seat belt, but then never mention those that do wear a seatbelt and died anyway. And they never, ever mention those that lived because they weren't wearing a seatbelt even though it occasionally does happen.

Statistically 63% of crash fatalities were unrestrained. That isn't magic, it is physics. Modern vehicles are designed to strategically crumple and absorb the energy of a crash around the occupant. That is why body work is so expensive. If the occupant isn't where he or she is supposed to be (restrained in the seat) then there is no way for the car to be "safe". Granted, certain accidents are almost always fatal but there is no reason for someone to die in a 40 mph impact if they are restrained.

I agree that mentioning whether a person is wearing a seat belt or not is hit and miss, but I don't think it is very useful information if they don't also describe the nature of the accident. People do much better in roll-overs if they are wearing seatbelts. A high speed head-on impact with a much bigger vehicle is another story.

 

[jodifla]

I hate wearing seatbelts....They cut across me at a terrible angle and I'm uncomfortable every second I have one on.

I only wear one because DH has asked me to. Otherwise, I wouldn't.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Well I might be dumb for not wearing a seatbelt but I do know the difference between a coconut and a cantaloupe so I figure I'm ahead of the game

"its not a horse, its just banging two coconut halves together!"

(Sorry about the OT)

Back to topic: Go ahead and not wear a seatbelt, please sign a waiver so that they can harvest your organs, and a statement that your family cannot sue me if in an accident, and I walk away and you don't.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I do not wear one, for several reasons. #1. I have a every bad panic disorder, and that is where my panic happens to be, I FREAK OUT if I try to wear one! 2. One of the times I DID wear one, someone ran a stop sign and hit me. If I was not wearing one I would have been ok, but instead I now have a bad shoulder due to a very bad torn rotator cuff! 3. I have had 3 different friends in 3 different accidents who if they WERE wearing a belt they would have been DEAD on impact! They were eject in 2 of the cases which saved there lives.

I now live, what will be will be! It is my choice...and I chose NOT to wear one, for the above reasons!

No offense, but if you have a panic attack just by putting on a seatbelt, how do you react to other stresses while driving? Heavy traffic? People cutting you off? Perhaps you should consider not driving, for the safety of others? YES/NO?

 

[NancyK]

Years ago during company safety training we had a police officer come in and talk to us. The thing that always remained with me was a case he described where the husbands were in the front of a car buckled in. The wives in the back seat were not buckled. You guessed it, there was a car accident and the women slammed into their husbands and everyone was killed. Four totally unnecessary deaths. It's simple physics. Any loose object in the car has the ability to be lethal.
My father-in-law rarely wears his seat belt, but he always does in our car. Many years ago, I refused to drive with him or allow him to be a passenger in our car without being belted in. When he gave me the "it's my right not to wear a seatbelt" line, I told him it was MY right to not have his body slam into mine or the children's. He never argued about it with us again. So - for those of you who don't wear seatbelts, I would ask that you at least do so when you have passengers in the car. I think you should buckle up anyway - why take the chance of leaving your loved ones grieving unnecessarily.

And as a side note - I've never seen Life Hammer in Canada. Is it available in the U.S. Walmarts or does it have to be ordered from somewhere? Thanks.

 

[Sonya]

I hate wearing them too, I am too short and I get strangled, but I always wear mine. I have been in a bad accident before and know they save lives.

One of my best friends doesn't wear hers, nor does her DH, nor do her kids! Her youngest is 4 and isn't even in a booster seat. Maybe for long road trips, but I don't know. I remember her asking me when DS was around 2, "Have you given up and taken him out of his car seat yet?" I said DS doesn't mind it, he expects it, because we do it every time.

 

[maddiemom]

OK I look at it this way. Seatbelts can save lives especially when used in conjunction with air bags. But it is not only about saving lives. It is also about saving your quality of life. Not everyone is ejected in a car accident. Not everyone that is ejected is killed. BUT those who are not ejected or ejected but not killed will likely have suffered some sort of traumatic brain injury from the impact of their head against the window, dashboard, pavement etc.

Traumatic brain injury changes lives FOREVER. Often times people are never able to return to their jobs, take care of their kids or themselves for that matter, return to school, the list goes on and on. I have worked with many people with brain injuries, usually caused by car accidents, and the results are very often devastating.

It's not rocket science. Buckle up! Make your kids buckle up. Make your parents buckle up. If you think wearing a seat belt is uncomfortable or wrinkles your clothes... I imagine that sitting in a wheelchair the rest of your life could be pretty uncomfortable too.

What's the old saying..... an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of "cure"

Now I will quietly step down from my soapbox

 

[mylilnikita]

I didn't wear a seatbelt until I was in high school and took Driver's Ed. We had to wear a lap belt at our desks. I can't tell you how many times, I tried to leave my desk and was strapped in-lol. We would see the outdated movies right after lunch-eeewww. Then my family went to the state fair during this time and they had a display called " the convincer" and you sat in it stapped in and it was a seat that was put on a platform and they disengaged it so you would ride the chair down the platform and it jerked you back when you stopped, it was showing you without the belt you would go flying, then my family started to wear them and we do to this day. It has saved me a couple times because I would have gone through the window.



Grumpy Pirate-you rock!



If you don't want to wear one, fine, good luck with being thrown or have the car roll over on you. Sometimes I sit at the stoplight and watch how many people who don't. But you can only get a ticket if the police pull you over for another violation.

Sonya-your friend needs to have her kids taken away for endangering them and never let your DS ride with her!!

Just out of curiousity how many have "seat belt laws"?