Do you wear a seatbelt

FarmerPug · Post by **FarmerPug** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 4:38 pm

Seatbelts

highlander · Post by **highlander** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 4:56 pm

It's a no-brainer, this. Admittedly, there are occasional accidents where seatbelts cause severe injury (for example, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen, whose left arm was severed by a faulty seatbelt during a crash) and even death (people have been trapped in burning/sinking cars as a result of being unable to release their seatbelts).

Furthermore, it is a criminal offense in the United Kingdom (and other countries) for drivers and their passengers to travel in a car without wearing their seat belt. If you are involved in an accident and you are found not to have worn your seatbelt, this also has a negative impact on your health insurance, and on any legal action you may raise (i.e. if you have suffered severe injuries you felt were not your fault, where wearing a seatbelt may have prevented (or reduced the extent of) those injuries).

Some seatbelt-related facts from America, courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

- Seat belts are credited with preventing an estimated 15,434 fatalities in 2004. If all passenger vehicle occupants over age 4 wore safety belts, 21,273 lives could have been saved in 2004. (NHTSA, 2005)

- If all passengers were to wear their seat belts, an additional 5,839 fatalities could have been prevented in 2004. (NHTSA, 2005)

- Six out of ten children who died in passenger vehicle crashes were unbelted. (NHTSA, 2005)

In short - wear yer damn belt.

FarmerPug · Post by **FarmerPug** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 5:01 pm

But the thing is, does putting a belt on come automatically to you, to me i dont think twice, i get into the car, and buckle up instantly, sometimes i start the engine before it but i always do it, which makes them seatbelt buzzers realitivley pointless because i remember to put it on.
But in italy they dont like the seatbelt, as my italian cousin said, its bad luck to put one on.

trem1 · Post by **trem1** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 6:29 pm

I cant vote in the Poll as i have 2 answers,when i'm in a car any car i always wear a seatbelt......................but in my van i never wear a seatbelt

working in the theory that i'm the crumple zone in my van,so in the event of an accident im stuck between what ive hit/or has it me and the 2 tonne of unrestrained load coming forward to get me from behind.
Me i'd rather be dead than a vegetable for my wife/kids to look after.
My life, my choice

plod · Post by **plod** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 7:32 pm

If you do multi drop in a van it used to be law that you didn't require a seatbelt
also for taxi drivers

don't know if it's still the case

Without fail in my car, but in the lorry or in a van in the past, then yes, sometimes I don't wear one

Post by **teamster1975** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 8:47 pm

Are you serious with this poll FarmerP?

Apart from the obvious law breaking, anyone that gets in a car and doesn't strap in (nowadays) is endangering themselves and their fellow passengers.
Yes it was different years ago, but there are so many cars on the road and too many tosspot drivers that it's madness not to wear a belt!

Here's another poll idea for the bikers; Do you wear leathers; yes or no?

FarmerPug · Post by **FarmerPug** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 9:58 pm

teamster1975 wrote:Are you serious with this poll FarmerP?

heyyy it gets a bit of a discussion going, whats wrong with that. I have no motorbike, but i do like the sound of harley davidsons.

highlander · Post by **highlander** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:42 pm

It's an automatic reaction for me - in the car, seatbelt on, then start the engine.

If I have passengers in the car, I refuse to even put the car into gear until they've buckled up.

FarmerPug · Post by **FarmerPug** » Thu Dec 30, 2010 10:55 pm

highlander wrote:If I have passengers in the car, I refuse to even put the car into gear until they've buckled up.

but sometimes a passenger with no seatbelt on may stop them attacking you remember lethal weapon 3. Thankfully ive only ever had passengers that need buckled in.

Gary406 · Post by **Gary406** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 5:45 pm

good safety feature for sure, i dont always wear it but i should,

as highlander says not good in burning sinking cars but dont think they was designed for that anyway, its not often people drive into water but it is pretty often that road collisions happen

simple design of them was made for a road collision (obviously)

FarmerPug · Post by **FarmerPug** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 6:19 pm

well if your car is in a bit of water perhaps its a good idea to keep something in the car capable of quickly cutting the belt.

plod · Post by **plod** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 7:15 pm

FarmerPug wrote:well if your car is in a bit of water perhaps its a good idea to keep something in the car capable of quickly cutting the belt.

Didn't they used to sell a device specially for that
Haven't seen any for a while but was a 'safe' blade for cutting the belt

FarmerPug · Post by **FarmerPug** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 7:20 pm

a stanley knife or pair of scisors would do rightly.

Gary406 · Post by **Gary406** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 7:25 pm

sure the police wont be happy to find a stanley knife or a pair of scissors in your glovebox

FarmerPug · Post by **FarmerPug** » Sat Jan 01, 2011 7:30 pm

just say your a carpeter, do the police even search cars to that extent. You could also just say it was to fix an electrical problem.

406oc.co.uk