Definitely the latter..

 

yeah i was raised wearing seat betls, so when i drive i put it on without even thinking about it. no offense to the dead, that really sucks, but you've got to be a certified idiot to not wear one regularly. i don't get how some don't wear one, it's usually older folks so maybe that the way things were back in "the day" or something, but that' s no excuse. i always make sure people i'm driving wear theres. i don't want their blood smeared on my leather seats in an accident! err i mean, saftey first! jk, but seriously, yeah always wear it and make sure your passengers do too.

 

Cops and military are so damn lucky -

All the FREE ammo you could ever shoot!!



I think a lot of old farts dont wear their seatbelts around here because they didn't use to back "in the day." But then again most of them drive like they were back "in the day" doing a whooping 35mph in a 55mph zone, randomly braking for no apparent reason, and drag racing each other at 35mph side by side blocking all traffic that wants to go faster. (Talking OLD people here, not adults, but like 80+)

Ask anyone who has driven in Sarasota/Venice/Nokomis area and they will agree...lol


I'm glad we have the "click it or ticket" laws anyhow.

 

I love to think that "back in the day" seatbelts were an option in cars, and floormats were standard.

Boy did we every come full circle.

My 2003 4Runner has $180 "optional" floormats. That's why they are protected by Husky mats... at an additional $140. Now who's the fool?

I suck!

 

Did you hear the recent news about the farmer's market?

Eight Killed as Elderly Driver Plows Into LA Market
Wed July 16, 2003 09:44 PM ET

By Stephen Wood
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (Reuters) - Eight people were killed and dozens injured on Wednesday when a speeding car with an 86-year-old man at the wheel barreled for three blocks through a crowded street market in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Monica.

A three-year-old girl was among those killed when the 1992 Buick LeSabre crashed through barricades at one end of the street and careened wildly through the open-air market, sending bodies flying, shortly before 2 p.m. local time (5 p.m. EDT), police and witnesses said.

Fifteen people were critically hurt, with between 20 and 30 others suffering moderate to minor injuries in what Santa Monica Police Chief James Butts called "the most devastating accident scene that I have witnessed in 30 years of law enforcement."

The driver walked away from the incident and was interviewed by police before he was released, Butts said. The man, who walks with a cane, told police that he thought he was stepping on the brake and instead hit the accelerator.

Butts said the man, who could still face criminal charges, was lucid and did not appear to have suffered from any medical condition that contributed to the accident.

The popular Santa Monica street market was transformed into a disaster scene as bleeding shoppers were treated where they fell amid the wreckage of produce stalls and their contents while helicopters evacuated the critically injured.

Butts said it was not yet clear how fast the car had been moving.

"I don't have a speed estimate but it was going fast enough to destroy or demolish some of these stands and kill eight people," he said.

There's more.
The rest of the article is here

Not seat belt related but very very sad

 

Another safety tip- LOCK YOUR DOORS!

 

Just saw that story on the news...sad. That old guy should not have been driving. I've been a seat belt user for...30 years. actually more. My dad alway had us using those 'lap' belts. Remember those non self adjusting shoulder belts...PITA. Only lap belts in my '68 510, but we all used 'em for 20 years. Putting on the belts is just natural for all of us, I don't move until everyone is clicked in. Always asking my 9 year old if he's buckled up (sits behind me)...so nice he can do it himself. He hates his 'booster' seat, but he's only 60 pounds and we're on the freeway about an hour each way. I have no idea why some people don't wear belts while driving, they either have a death wish, think they are invinsible, or are just driving on 3 wheels...with a few screws loose.

 

Richter:

Keep giving out those seat-belt tickets and show no mercy.

My dad is a doctor who worked in the ER in the '70s. When he first started in the ER, he did his own non-scientific poll. Each time an accident victim came in, he asked them two questions: 1) were they wearing their seatbelts and 2) did they have their headrest adjusted properly? Invariably, the people who felt fine, but came in to get checked out "just in case" were wearing their seatbelts and had properly adjusted their headrests. The people who were really messed up weren't wearing seatbelts and had not adjusted their headrest.

After six months of asking these questions, my Dad stopped his "poll". When a patient was brought in it was intuitively obvious whether or not they were wearing their seat belts.

My car does not move until everyone is belted in. If they don't like it, they can get out and walk.

You can still get seriously messed up in an accident while wearing your seat belt. But it sure improves your odds.

 

It feels REALLY weird to not wear a seatbelt after you've worn one for so long. I feel like I'm just bouncing around just trying to hang on in turns and what not. I'm probably just weird.

BTW, Richter624, thanks for doing what you do.

 

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the encouragement. I may know jack about modding my Yota right now, but I know how to pen out some summonses

... I do expect the Yota knowledge to greatly increase thanks to you guys.

 

7 months ago (this july 20) I was hit by a car that rolled and ejected 3, 16 YO girls that did not have seatbelts on. The 1 girl that did have a belt on was cut from the wreckage. All the girls have survived so far, but some will have "life long consequences" from their choice not to belt up.

I was belted in, but departed the freeway towards a bunch of BIG fir trees. Mu first thought was I was going to hit some BIG tree at 70 MPH, and the second was that I was going to experience an airbag deployment. Lucky, I stopped before either one occured. But everything in my wagon was packed into the drivers footwell afterwards.

I now drive a sedan as my DD, so all my equipment is contained inside the trunk.

 

When you have an option (on an older car) don't go for the lapbelt. Always go for the lap and shoulder belt.

They discovered that in larger accidents (especially with the elderly or young) that the lap belts sometimes caused permanent spinal injury leading up to and including paralysis. Still, it is safer than being thrown from the car.

For all those worried about the rare occurrences of being stuck in the car because of a seatbelt, here's your answer:


I keep one of these at my feet in my truck

 

Amen to that Yoda. Already in my career, I've seen the consequences of not wearing your seatbelt all too often. As for the fear of getting trapped... lemme fill you in on something...

just because you have an airbag, doesn't mean you're scott-free. FYI: airbags deploy at over 200 MPH. The seatbelt is designed to slow your head's collision with said airbag. Not wearing your belt sends your head, maybe not into the windshield, but definitely face first into the 200 MPH expanding brick wall on your steering wheel. If you think it doesn't happen that way, you're sadly mistaken.

The members of this forum are all of the same belief that all should wear them and for that I'm grateful. Nothing sucks worse than going to a 17 year old kid's house and giving a death notification to his parents. Let me tell you, you only do that once in your career... or you pray only once.

YotaTech members are a good breed. Keep it up everyone. Be safe out there. And... let the jerks go, no need to get pissed when someone cuts you off... cause sooner or later... guys like me will catch up to them.

 

Well said. Keep 'em honest Richter624.