~Do You Wear Your Seat Belt??~

[Ringel05]

I always wear my seat belt especially when I'm driving while talking on the phone and watching a video on the DVD player on my dash at the same time in rush hour traffic.

 

[Montrovant]

I don't drive, but when I'm in someone's passenger seat I always wear a seatbelt. It isn't a safety issue, I simply don't want to have to pay for a ticket.

Honestly, I fear the possibility of a seatbelt saving my life when I'd rather not be saved (permanent, debilitating injury) as much as I hope it will protect me.

 

[sparky]

I wear mine about 95% of the time. I have an uncle who's a firefighter and when I got my license almost 20 years ago he pulled me aside and told me the only thing I ever needed to hear to win me over.... "Scott, in almost 20 years in the fire department I've NEVER unbuckled a corpse

Aside form the rare T bone / compartment compromise, your unc's right Anach. Add to this recent engineering marvels like airbags, as well as compartment collapsability , and we have people walking away from 'landings' that would have been thier last years ago

Now, having said that, I respect anyone's right to choose not to wear their seatbelt. Honestly, the only seatbelt law I want to see is essentially the same as the only motorcycle helmet law I want to see.... One that allows insurance companies to decline to pay for injuries which would likely have been avoided had the patient been wearing a helmet/seatbelt at the time of the accident. If you choose not to wear the protective gear you should be responsible for those costs yourself.

An interesting , and often common concept among libertopians most can apppreciate having a respectable place in the freedom isn't free, personal responsibility files. One can extend the sentiment in a broader sense towards OSHA regs, even the EPA and/or other nanny state oversight(s)

I just have a bit of a problem with insurance whores having the riens to it all....

 

[RetiredGySgt]

I always wear my seat belt. The excuse used that " I don't want to be told to" has got to be the dumbest one yet. You would rather die then wear a device that is easy, simple and convenient simply because the State decided to make it mandatory. Does that mean if the State makes it mandatory NOT to shoot yourself you will buy a weapon and promptly shoot yourself?

The State has a compelling reason to require seat belts and in the case of Motorcycles, helmets, for anyone not of the age of consent. I however do not believe they have a compelling reason to force idiots that simply want to die because they are to stupid to wear them to comply. Simply allow Insurance not to pay if they are not properly equipped.

 

[Zoom-boing]

I hate wearing a seat belt. At least in my car (Honda Pilot), it cuts into my neck and is nothing but annoying and uncomfortable, especially on longer trips. I even got a little buckle-type hook thing to try and keep it off my neck. <sigh> What can I say? I'm on the short side and that thing only works so well.

Having said that . . . I usually wear it 85% of the time. Short trips ... like dropping the kids off at the bus stop or school, I just buckle the thing up and sit on the strap and the only reason I do that is because the damn thing beeps at me every 90 seconds until it gets buckled.

Love the 'I've never unbuckled a corpse' advice. Yes, seat belts do save lives. I just wish they weren't so uncomfortable.

 

[signelect]

All the time, all you have to do is read the numbers. Your chances in a bad accident go way up when you have a belt on. Same is true with helmets on motorcycles.

 

[rightwinger]

When I started driving in 1973, very few people wore them. If you got in someones car and put on your seat belt the driver was insulted. It showed you did not trust his driving.
Putting on your seat belt involved digging the belt out from between the cushions... too big a hassle

By 1979, I had a car with three point seatbelts that you just pulled over when you got in the car. It was simple and I figured spending a few seconds buckling was better than kissing a windshield.

I have always worn one since

 

[Dabs]

They don't always saves lives tho.
There was a family here in my area that plunged into a concrete barrier. The passenger was almost cut in half, by the seatbelt, the impact was so hard.
Of course, she probably would have died anyway, even if she had not been wearing one, but I have seen cases where they don't always save your life.
And they are uncomfortable.....and annoying as hell...I honest to God can't remember the last time I wore one.
I drive 95% of the time, my car, and so I feel I don't have to.

 

[Ernie S.]

I never wear my seat belt, ever...and I have caught hell about it many times~
I don't need the lectures, really, I'm not going to wear it....so people just need to save their breath~

I support your right to refuse to wear a seat belt.


I am a very safe driver- I could easily rationalize why I don''t need to wear a seat belt ( dah! I have airbags!! Dah!! I am a great driver!! DAH!!) But I am more worried about the "other" idiots on the road. Just this morning I saw a woman driving while reading a book, drinking hot coffee, AND applying make up!! People like her scare the shit out of me...... That's why I buckle up.

Best of luck!

I rarely drive off with my belt on, but by the time I reach the main road, I usually have remembered. I have paid a $155 fine...

Zander, if you think the lady you saw was unusual, I can attest that inattentiveness is very common. I've seen men shaving (blade and lather), a guy texting on one phone and talking on another, people having oral and genital sex, reading on what looked to be a Kindel and typing on a computer.
Riding on only 2 wheels gives you a better view of what's going on in cars and more reason to pay attention.

 

[Dabs]

I see people text a lot while driving.

 

[Ernie S.]

When I started driving in 1973, very few people wore them. If you got in someones car and put on your seat belt the driver was insulted. It showed you did not trust his driving.
Putting on your seat belt involved digging the belt out from between the cushions... too big a hassle

By 1979, I had a car with three point seatbelts that you just pulled over when you got in the car. It was simple and I figured spending a few seconds buckling was better than kissing a windshield.

I have always worn one since

I had a Thunderbird for years that had a shoulder belt that ran on a track above the door. It was always there and I got out of the habit of bucking up/

 

[Sunni Man]

Around here, we have many ponds and lakes that spill over from the Tennessee River, I pass at least 1 or 2 bridges per day~
I can't swim, and my thing is, if I ever plunged into the water, I'm a goner, cause the seat belt would prolly jam and there I would be, gasping for air, eventually drowning.
No thanks....throw me through the windshield and let's hope I die instantly from hitting the ground~

I know a guy who's wife rolls down the car window every time they cross a bridge over water.

Her rational is that if they plunge into the water the cars electrical system could short out.

Thus the power windows and door locks wouldn't work.

And she would be trapped under water and drown.

What he hates is that she rolls down the window even when it's raining or freezing outside.

 

[blastoff]

Always. It's stupid not to but that's why they call stupid people stupid.