No seatbelt?! - Page 2

Take care of a trauma patient who is ejected through the windshield after an accident and you will change your tune on a seat belt if you don't wear one.

 

They are a must in my car or you will walk. Period. No room for discussion. 

Back in the 1950's my parents were hit by a drunk driver & my mother shoved my then 2 yo brother into her coat & she went through the windshield. She was in a coma for months & never recovered all her memory. My then 6 week old sister lived with an aunt for 2 years and, when returned, my mom didn't know it was her own daughter.

 

Still, we were not raised to wear seat belts. I didn't bother until I was in college & fell in love & realized how I would feel if something happened to him. Now it is the law here anyway, and we all wear them.

I've been wearing my seat belt since I started driving.  In fact, I was the first one in the family to do so.  Before seat belts became law, I had friend who, for some reason, decided to buckle up on the way somewhere.  Within minutes of buckling up, she had a serious car accident.  She said if she wasn't wearing her seat belt, she probably would have gone through the windshield.  That was enough motivation for me to start wearing mine.

 

Years ago, I knew a woman who refused to wear a seat belt.  She said a relative of hers had a car accident, was thrown from the vehicle, and survived.  The police officer on the scene said to the relative that if they were wearing their seat belt, they would have been killed.  Being thrown from the vehicle saved their life.  Of course, this accident occurred before airbags and other safety devices were on vehicles, so hopefully this woman has come to her senses and is now wearing her seat belt.  

We always wear our seat belts and have the "my car, my rules" idea. I don't start the car until everybody is buckled. It is the law here anyway.

That being said, how can they make such a law? They can tell us we have to wear seat belts inside our vehicle, but a motorcyclist with no protection at all and driving the same speeds, can choose not to wear a helmet?

Don't get me wrong, I do believe it should be a law, but motorcyclists should have to wear helmets as well.

Michigan used to have the helmet law and they just passed the "no helmet required" law in the last year or so. It makes no sense to me.

I don't think it should be law that an adult has to wear a seatbelt, a helmet, or follow any other type of safety mandate. You're an adult it's your choice what you want to do. A child should of course be properly restrained.

That makes sense Karen. Make it a law for children up to age 18 or 21 and then let adults make their own safety choices. I just don't understand having one of these laws in place and not the other when both pertain to safety while driving.

 

This is my mother.  She refuses to wear a seatbelt.  She's afraid if something happens, she'll be stuck in the car because the seatbelts will jam.  I make her sit in the back of the car where seatbelts aren't required by law, because I can't change her.

 

I feel naked without one--very exposed.  Needless to say, I wear mine all the time, even though I grew up without them.

I should also mention that we never wore seatbelts in India.  For roadtrips, we borrowed car seats for the kids, but the driver would put the buckles back under the seat every time he cleaned the car (which was like every other day).

 

Anyway, I found it very uncomfortable.  We were never driving fast, but the effort of having to hold your body back every time the car slowed or stopped was annoying.  Not to mention having to hold the kids.

I wouldn't drive off till everyone is buckled up.

 

I don't care if you ride in the front, back seat or trunk. You are going to be buckled up.

When I was a teen I never wanted to wear mine but now it is a must for me! I've witnessed too many accidents and there are too many drivers now that aren't paying attention.