Pickup Owners: Do you buckle up?

GManBart · Apr 14, 2016

Tomtint said:
Back on 1988 I was a passenger in my own car. ( IROC Camaro ) We hit black going maybe 45/50 mph. Car spun into oncoming traffic and was hit directly on the passengers door by a car coming the other way. The impact pushed the inside of the door over the passengers seat and hit the driver on his right shoulder. I was ejected out of the TTop. Has I been wearing a seat belt, no doubt I wouldn't be here today. I still don't wear one today.

Statistical anomaly.

In nearly 20 years of law enforcement work I've seen exactly one body belted in. That was a scenario somewhat similar to what you described, although the driver of the fatal vehicle ran a red arrow. None of the other bodies were belted in.

GManBart · Apr 14, 2016

Much like Bird, I had a belt save my life years ago. I was 17, driving to school and had a tire problem that led to my car hitting a large oak tree head on at almost 40mph (tree was 2ft off the side of the road). When I got in the wrecker I put my seat belt on, and noticed the driver smiling at me. He said "good boy, that saved you a trip to the hospital, or the morgue." Needless to say, if it's farther than the end of the driveway, I put my belt on.

As I said in the previous post, I've seen a lot of bodies from auto accidents, and only one of them was belted in.

oldpilgrim · Apr 14, 2016

20 years or so ago, we had referendum ballots a year or so apart, asking if we should have a seat belt law. Both times the people of the state overwhelmingly said 'No'. The next year, the legislature passed one regardless of the will of the people. The guess is that they were bought off by the insurance companies.

Ma is famous for having binding referendums and ignoring them.

oldpilgrim · Apr 14, 2016

Quote Originally Posted by Tomtint View Post
Back on 1988 I was a passenger in my own car. ( IROC Camaro ) We hit black going maybe 45/50 mph. Car spun into oncoming traffic and was hit directly on the passengers door by a car coming the other way. The impact pushed the inside of the door over the passengers seat and hit the driver on his right shoulder. I was ejected out of the TTop. Has I been wearing a seat belt, no doubt I wouldn't be here today. I still don't wear one today.

Statistical anomaly.

maybe... but back in 1971, my wife was a passenger in a car that got hit in the passenger side by a car doing better than 40mph. The car was pushed sideways so the rear quarter was crushed by a telephone pole. She was thrown sideways into the driver's lap. Bruised badly down her whole left side. My 2 year old son was in the back on the driver's side but nothing broken. After the collision, the front and back seats were only half as wide as they were before the wreck. My son had minor bruises, not enough for him to even cry.

Driver got a few bruises.

If either were strapped in, they'd both be gone. The car was a 1960 Ford Falcon. Most cars didn't have seat belts back then, thankfully, in my case.

Howling · Apr 14, 2016

I wear seat belt in car, truck and on tractor.

Firm believer in safety equipment. 33 years I got hit by a car. Without the bike helmet I would not be here today.

JPRambo · Apr 14, 2016

I wear mine n my truck. My 64 chevy does not have them and my B7100 does not have them.

fidowanttobe · Apr 14, 2016

We wear them all the time. Funny feeling when its not on even on the tractor, so often wear it on him too. Just not when its on/off on/off repeat. The eject won't hurt as bad as the rolling 3000lbs coming after me with spinning blades!

TerryR · Apr 14, 2016

I've been wearing them in my road vehicles since my first car in 1957, when I had to install them because my used Plymouth didn't have them factory installed. I wear one on my tractor in the field lots of some steep places, and when blading the driveway which has a substantial drop-off on one side.

GManBart · Apr 14, 2016

oldpilgrim said:
maybe... but back in 1971, my wife was a passenger in a car that got hit in the passenger side by a car doing better than 40mph. The car was pushed sideways so the rear quarter was crushed by a telephone pole. She was thrown sideways into the driver's lap. Bruised badly down her whole left side. My 2 year old son was in the back on the driver's side but nothing broken. After the collision, the front and back seats were only half as wide as they were before the wreck. My son had minor bruises, not enough for him to even cry.

Driver got a few bruises.

If either were strapped in, they'd both be gone. The car was a 1960 Ford Falcon. Most cars didn't have seat belts back then, thankfully, in my case.

There have always been cases like that, but I don't think we're really discussing cars that are 50+ years old.

There really isn't any comparison between cars from that era and anything made in the last 20 years or so. They've even done crash comparisons to show how massive the improvements have been. Even big, heavy, "all steel" cars from the past are nowhere near as safe as normal cars today.

Crash Test 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air VS. 29 Chevrolet Malibu (Frontal Offset) IIHS 5th Anniversary - YouTube

hawkeye08 · Apr 14, 2016

4570Man said:
I never wear the tractor seat belt because it constantly ratchets tighter. The seat belt in the Kioti is even worse.

I have a 99cent clamp I use to keep the tractor seatbelt from ratcheting too tight..

fidowanttobe · Apr 14, 2016

Crash Test 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air VS. 29 Chevrolet Malibu (Frontal Offset) IIHS 5th Anniversary - YouTube[/QUOTE]

Even tho I've seen that before, it still saddens me to see that 59 get totaled. Truly amazing tho.
My sister-in-law rear ended a stopped mid 70's Mercury land yacht with a 90's Geo Metro on a 70 mph highway with very short skidmarks! Both were totaled of course but believe it or not the Merc was the worst. Pushed it up to the back window while the Metro crushed as designed. Hospitalization because of no belts on, but I was hugely impressed with that little runt. Meto cockpit was almost perfect with both doors opening.

JerryK · Apr 14, 2016

I wear a seatbelt 100% of the time in a motor vehicle, been doing it so long kind of feel naked without it. Sort of like leaving home without my cell, which I do sometimes... even though I spent many years gallivanting all over the US and world without one... I do not have belts on either of my John Deere's, and only pulled the one out a little way on my Mahindra right after I bought it...

George2615 · Apr 14, 2016

We don't have a choice here. It's the law that we have to wear a seat belt or pay a hefty fine when caught not wearing.
I have to wear but prefer not to. I lost a friend who was wearing one when his car went off the road and flipped upside down in a swamp. I wasn't with him but was told by the police He was hanging by the belt and couldn't release it to get free and drown. I'm sure wearing a seat belt has saved lots of lives but I can't get that picture out of my mind.

ultrarunner · Apr 14, 2016

^^^ Are you required to add belts to vehicles that do not have them?

George2615 · Apr 14, 2016

ultrarunner said:
^^^ Are you required to add belts to vehicles that do not have them?

Fortunately No, So I try to drive my classics that don't have belts as much as possible during the summer.

Al Mac · Apr 14, 2016

As one of the aprox 1% that don't wear a seat belt answering this topic. I seldom put mine on in anything. I did wear the harness at the drag strip but only then. It is the law here with a $250.00 installment to the province for better roads to drive faster on.
I have paperwork on this topic also. As a self employed person the last time I was pulled over the officer gave me the run down with the points lost and money it cost.When I was only interested in the points lost he said again the cost of this fine. I told him I was self employed and my income to live is directly related to the money I get from working. Then named 3 officers (same detachment) I had bills on my desk to mail out. I did ensure him that I would divide it 3 ways. He must have known that they had renos done as he dropped his head and shook it.:mur:
I would not divide the fine up between the 3 officers but he would not know that.:laughing:

Al

Soundguy · Apr 14, 2016

Al righty then..

Looking4new · Apr 14, 2016

In 1973 my girlfriend was in a 1970 Buick as a passenger. The driver of the car lost control and went sideways into a bridge abutment on the passenger side. My gf was wearing a seatbelt and died at 02:30 in the morning. The accident happened at 9P.M. Okay, she wasn't dead immediately, she suffered and died almost 6 hours later.
Her mother was wearing her seatbelt AND shoulder belt when she got T-boned on the drivers' side, she died of a broken neck. So much for your commie (I am talking Canada here) seat belt save lives bs.

The only reason I wear mine is to avoid the heavy fine and points lost off my license.

dragoneggs · Apr 14, 2016

Now to remind everyone... this post was directed to pickup owners. OP, I think your data collection is tainted unless all that have replied have P/U's.