Why Don't People Wear Seatbelts?

[ducklite]

imabrat, you are wise beyond your years.

 

[imabrat]

imabrat, you are wise beyond your years.

Thank you.
Cancer at 14 kind of forced me to grow up even if I didn't want to.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Thank you.
Cancer at 14 kind of forced me to grow up even if I didn't want to.

Then you should stay on the CB!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

From the teen board here,but sharing my two cents anyway.

I may not drive,or be old enough to drive,but I ALWAYS wear a seatbelt.
I feel naked without one.
My dad is also one who "forgets" to wear one,well he doesn't forget when I' backseat-driving him screaming at him to put it on.
I mean,he should know better,he was a paramedic back in the day.
My mom has a rule that she will not put the car in drive/reverse until everyone has the belt on,and I thank her for that.
In PA,we also have the "Click It or Ticket" program.
Now if only our school busses would get seatbelts,but that's a whole 'nother story.


Mickey~Mouse, I think you are being incrediby ignorant and immature.
You can choose not to wear a seatbelt, fine.
But when you say "I'm not going to wear one and you can't tell me what to do" "Hey,at least I'm honest,your not!" "I'm a better driver than you because I haven't had an accident", you sound like a child.
Call me hypocritical as I am only 14, but this is the impression I have of you.
Again, just my opinion.
Please do not flame.

You'll get no flames from me. I agree with everything you said. I'm proud to say that I have two daughters - one 22 and one 17 - and they're just like you. Your parents should be proud of you too.

One thing though - I'd be shocked if Mickey~Mouse wasn't any older than you. Maybe that's just my opinion, but that's my take on it.

Of course M~M is gone now, but I'm sure if he/she were here, we'd hear another argument about how stupid I am, and how bright he/she is. Which is fine really. I much prefer my kind of stupidity. At least I know I'm stupid enough to do everything it takes to protect myself from other "smart" drivers.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

Thank you.
Cancer at 14 kind of forced me to grow up even if I didn't want to.

Ouch. I'm sorry and hope you're well on your way to being 100% cured!

 

[LoraJ]

I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt.

However, the last time I didn't was when I was in an NYC taxi. The belt was under the seat or something and I didn't worry too much since we weren't going too far. Well of course we get hit by someone and I ended up fracturing my jaw/nose and losing a tooth plus other injuries. Thankfully the divider was open or it could have been worse.

The ONE time I didn't wear a seatbelt this happened. Just like the one time I left my radio in the car it got stollen. Ugh!

My friend who was totally against wearing seatbelts now uses them ever since my accident. In fact most everyone I know now wears them in cabs. But it amazes me how many doctors and dentists that I have dealt with since have all said they still don't wear their seatbelts in cabs, even after all of the injuries they have seen.

 

[mumom95]

My MIL never wears one. She is a very large woman, and I'm guessing that it is uncomfortable. My kids are 6 and 8 and I hate when they ask me why grandma doesn't wear one. I just say I don't know, but that it is wrong and she should. Then I have to go into, sometimes adults do things they shouldn't, but we try to teach children to be better people.

In Ohio it is law that the front seat driver (and passenger I think) legally have to wear seatbelts. Police officers are now even allowed to pull people over just because of the seat belt (it used to be that they had to commit some other offense and the officer could add seat belt onto the ticket) You do not legally have to wear a seatbelt in the backseat, in Ohio.

I personally think that if someone gets hurt in a car accident and doesn't have a seatbelt on, they should have no right to sue the other driver if the accident is the other drivers fault.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I personally think that if someone gets hurt in a car accident and doesn't have a seatbelt on, they should have no right to sue the other driver if the accident is the other drivers fault.

Not exactly the same thing, but about 18 months ago my oldest daughter caused an accident (yes, she was wearing her seat belt) and she wasn't ticketed because the driver she hit didn't have insurance.

(BTW, the other driver and his passenger were wearing theirs too, and it's a good thing, because she totaled their car; she sent it crashing into a telephone pole - and they walked away without a scratch.)

Of course, my insurance still had to pay, but I thought that was odd. It may have been at the discretion of the officer at the scene, who knows. I would have rather them both get them, because the other driver needed to pay the price for not having insurance.

Fast forward, and she's being the wheel of my car and she's hit by someone else. Thank God she was again wearing her seat belt, because I hate to think of what would have happened to her if she hadn't of been.

 

[JPN4265]

For the 3rd time in a week the local news is reporting a bad wreck with people ejected from teh vehicle. At least none of the latest bunch have life threatening injuries.

Is so simple, buckle up. :::::heavy sigh:::::

Why do people smoke??

 

[Chattyaholic]

I wish I knew.

DS is 31 and refuses to wear one. I used to nag him about it, but a few years ago I stopped. Realized it wasn't doing any good. He is an adult, old enough to make his own choices, even if they don't agree with mine.

 

[Chattyaholic]

I wish I knew.

DS is 31 and refuses to wear one. I used to nag him about it, but a few years ago I stopped. Realized it wasn't doing any good. He is an adult, old enough to make his own choices, even if they don't agree with mine.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

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.

I guess our media's different here but they always report on lethal car accidents irregardless of whether people where wearing their seatbelts or not.

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

To me though, slight discomfort is a small price to pay for your life.

I hate wearing them too, I am too short and I get strangled, but I always wear mine.

You do know that you can get seat belt extenders that help with the height problem.

anyone here SMOKE or drink here? I am guessing yes...well, guess what? that brings up the cost of insurance also, and I can bet my bottom dollar most of you have had a beer and got behind the wheel, again I can bet my bottom dollar on it. So who are you all to tell ME what to do? NO ONE! So STOP your smoking, because it affects my insurance rates, and that ONE beer you just had? or that glass of wine? YOU could be the next cause.....

so move on with YOUR lives and leave me and My life out of... YOUR smoking drinking business PLEASE! NOT one of you is any better then me.....
and hey...at least I am being HONEST! your not!

I don't smoke and I would never get behind the wheel of a car if I had something to drink and I wear my seatbelt. Why is that so hard to believe?

Don't wear your seatbelt. See if I care. But don't try to convince me that it's wrong for me to wear one or to insist that the people in my car wear one.

Only out of curiosity - if you are involved in an accident and were not wearing a seatbelt in a state where it is required, does your auto insurance still pay up? Can they drop you??

Where we live, I'm pretty sure they can refuse to pay for your medical treatment. They still have to pay for the damage to your car because that would have happened with or without a seatbelt. I know when we had our accident it was recorded in the police report that we were wearing our seatbelts and that is the first question that the insurance company asked me. The second was if alcohol was involved. (It wasn't.)

My DH won't wear one in his car. He has to wear it in my car because it will beep until you put it on.

I think that's an awesome feature and I'm so glad that my car has it too.

Now if only our school busses would get seatbelts,but that's a whole 'nother story.

Actually there is A LOT of research that says that seatbelts are harmful in the case of a bus. Many busses used to have seatbelts years ago but all have since taken them out. It has to do with the size and design of the vehicle. Now, I'm sure that there is other research that says the opposite but I just wanted to give you some perspective on why busses don't have them currently.

 

[Heidict]

I always wear one. Always have and always will. My Dh also wears his all the time and my DD is always in her carseat and will be wearing on when she eventually moves out of a car seat.

Anyone who wants to ride in a car that I'm driving, I will ask that they wear one. I'm not going to be sued and responsible for an injury that they got because they refused to wear one.

Outside of my car? Do what ever you want. It's your body and your business. I don't believe the goverment should interfere in it, but of course they do because we all know that the goverment has to hold our hand and tell us what is best for us. It's a personal decision and no adult should be forced to wear one if they don't want to.

 

[Squirlz]

Outside of my car? Do what ever you want. It's your body and your business. I don't believe the goverment should interfere in it, but of course they do because we all know that the goverment has to hold our hand and tell us what is best for us. It's a personal decision and no adult should be forced to wear one if they don't want to.

I have to disagree. A seat belt will keep you behind the wheel if you've lost control, spinning on ice for example. If you're behind the wheel you have a better chance of regaining control of your car to avoid hitting ME, which is where a decision not to wear a belt affects others besides yourself!

I am all for mandatory seat belt usage. On my short list for car accessories is a 4-point racing harness.

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I always wear one. Always have and always will. My Dh also wears his all the time and my DD is always in her carseat and will be wearing on when she eventually moves out of a car seat.

Anyone who wants to ride in a car that I'm driving, I will ask that they wear one. I'm not going to be sued and responsible for an injury that they got because they refused to wear one.

Outside of my car? Do what ever you want. It's your body and your business. I don't believe the goverment should interfere in it, but of course they do because we all know that the goverment has to hold our hand and tell us what is best for us. It's a personal decision and no adult should be forced to wear one if they don't want to.

Sorry, but the reason the "evil" government gets involved is that the "No seatbelt for me" crowd do get in accidents, and require a LOT more medical and convlescent care and thearpy. When their own medical insurance "caps out" guess who gets to pay for it? Hospitals cannot refuse treatement, so they have to "eat" the charges. and they bill various government funds, and who pays..Hmmm the Taxpayer! So the taxpayer, upset about high taxes, complains to their elected officals and the simple answer is "prevenative medicine" which in this case is "use seat belts" remember when you blame the "big bad government" you are really blaming yourself and all the other voters!

Merry holidays!

 

[Minnesota!]

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 !!!!!

I was actually going to bring up the same story about the dad's swerving/14yo dying! I thought it was odd that you knew of someone, too. Then I looked - you are in Hudson. I am in east metro. My boss's daughter is a freshman at Hudson...

My story -

My good friend (childhood BEST FRIEND) was killed in 1999. She was drinking, driving. "Only" had about 2 miles to go from bar to home. Getting on the freeway , took a curve too quick and vehicle rolled. She flew out the sun roof and the vehicle landed on her head. Killed instantly. Her passengers wearing their belts had injuries, but are still alive.

BUCKLE UP!!

 

[spima3]

Well, I'm in the don't wear one camp. I am only 5' 2", and the seat belt rests right under my jaw line. It is very uncomforatable, nearly impossible to turn my head to the left and if I were ever in a serious accident it would probably take my head off.

I am actually more worried about the airbag going off. They're designed for the average sized male! I have to sit practically on top of the steering wheel to reach the pedals and often think if this thing goes off it will probably crush my chest or break my neck.

I do make sure that my kids are always wearing theirs, though.

And I have to agree with an earlier post, I find it amazing when a traffic death is reported, they will always comment that the person wasn't wearing a seatbelt, but will never say they were killed despite wearing one. I have come to assume if it isn't mentioned then they died even while wearing one.

lori

 

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Well, I'm in the don't wear one camp. I am only 5' 2", and the seat belt rests right under my jaw line. It is very uncomforatable, nearly impossible to turn my head to the left and if I were ever in a serious accident it would probably take my head off.

I am actually more worried about the airbag going off. They're designed for the average sized male! I have to sit practically on top of the steering wheel to reach the pedals and often think if this thing goes off it will probably crush my chest or break my neck.

I do make sure that my kids are always wearing theirs, though.

And I have to agree with an earlier post, I find it amazing when a traffic death is reported, they will always comment that the person wasn't wearing a seatbelt, but will never say they were killed despite wearing one. I have come to assume if it isn't mentioned then they died even while wearing one.

lori

You can get one of these, or similer:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2328535

DW is small and I got her one. Her car is a ford explorer and it makes it very comfortable!

 

[spima3]

You can get one of these, or similer:

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2328535

DW is small and I got her one. Her car is a ford explorer and it makes it very comfortable!

Oh, thanks for this. After posting I actually googled seat belts and really didn't find anything for short people; lots on extenders though.

My husband is just shy of 6'. We both drive the vehicle equally. Is this easy to adjust in your experience? TIA

lori

 

[PrincessKitty1]

The same reason people on bicycles and scooters and motorcycles don't wear helmets: poor judgment. I've seen two scooters run a stop sign/stop light in the last few days. Neither driver was wearing a helmet.

I really wonder if there is an association between not wearing helmets/seatbelts and lousy driving; both seem to be associated with having poor judgment to me.