Seat Belts

[Duffster]

I always wear my seatbelt but when I was in high school a friend of mine was driving without his seatbelt and was hit by another car which sent his car into a telephone pole, he struck the pole on the drivers door and the car wrapped around the pole. Had he been wearing a seat belt he would have been killed instantly but because he was not strapped in ,when his car impacted the pole he was thrown into the passengers seat ( no one else was with him ) and he survived with only minor injuries. It just depends on the type of accident I suppose.

I have been in a similar accident.

 

[Rob-D]

And while I think it's foolish to not wear the seat belts, I'm also one of those who think we have too many laws and I don't think we should have laws to make you take care of yourself. I figure that should be up to you.

There you go! Well said. I see people smoking in the 21st century and I laugh at the stupidity of it.

Now if you want to walk down the street with a needle in your arm I figure it's your business but I'm still laughing at your absolute inability to regulate your life while you spend thousands dollars a year doing it. I have a brother who thinks this way, his answer is, "What do you want to do, live forever?" as he puffs his cigar taking heart pills and his wife sits in a chair with PAD because all the arteries in her legs have collapsed from smoking.
Personally I don't want to live forever, in fact if I die tomorrow I figure I did pretty good. What I want is to be able to do the things I want to do while I'm alive. The thought of walking around with a tube in my nose dragging a tank like I see people, who thought they were smart smoking have to do, is why I take care of myself.... very well. As for seat belts, like Bird, I would have been killed in 1969 if I didn't have one on.... I'll wear the belt.

"Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity...I'm not sure about the universe."

Albert Einstein

Rob

 

[Jaylegger]

Many years ago I had it out with a girlfriends friend who smoked. She tried to convince me smoking did not cause cancer and if I recall correctly she even gave a couple examples where smoking actually saved lives. My point, there's no shortage of dumbasses who, despite the preponderance of compelling anecdotal and factual evidence, fail to connect.

 

[jlsmith]

In 29 years in the Fire service, I don't recall ever cutting a seat belt to get a dead victim out out of a vehicle! I'll continue to wear mine!!!!!! ~~ grnspot110

sadly i have had to cut a few out. I dont wear one and never will but i do make my kids wear them and stay in there carseats. My wife is always on me about it but cant stand to have the thang on.

 

[MoKelly]

Do you all remember the Rodney Adkins song "I've been watching you"?

If you don't wear a seat belt but require your children to wear one when they are with you, what do you think will happen the first time they drive alone? Kids always see what you do but rarely hear what you say.

MoKelly

 

[Bird]

My point, there's no shortage of dumbasses who, despite the preponderance of compelling anecdotal and factual evidence, fail to connect.

And who generated all that compelling evidence? Anecdotal evidence? My paternal grandmother was adamantly against smoking and didn't allow smoking in her home. She had one cancerous lung removed, but it came back about a year later and she died of lung cancer at the age of 73. My dad, who smoked all his life, died at the age of 80. His dad, who never smoked, died at the age of 80. One of dad's sisters, who only smoked a couple of years as a young woman, died of cancer at the age of 64. My mother, who didn't smoke, but grew up in a home with a father who smoked, then lived for 58 years with a husband who smoked, lived to be 85, older than anyone in our family has ever lived. And when my dad died, the death certificate has a question - "was the death smoking related" and with no evidence whatsoever that smoking had anything to do with it, the doctor marked it "probably". I guess stretching the truth is OK if it helps confirm what you already believe.

I'm certainly not saying that smoking is good for you, but we've been fed such a string of lies by the anti-smoking crowd that the number of dumbasses (as you say) who buy it hook, line, and sinker is incredible.

 

[Jaylegger]

Bird,

I doubt there's anything I could say or statistics I could post which would alter your view point regarding smoking and incidence of cancer, perhaps my example was a poor one and I apologize if it was insensitive. Despite that, anyone who believes seatbelts, more often than not, don't save lives is a dumbass.

 

[Rob-D]

And who generated all that compelling evidence? Anecdotal evidence? My paternal grandmother was adamantly against smoking and didn't allow smoking in her home. She had one cancerous lung removed, but it came back about a year later and she died of lung cancer at the age of 73. My dad, who smoked all his life, died at the age of 80. His dad, who never smoked, died at the age of 80. One of dad's sisters, who only smoked a couple of years as a young woman, died of cancer at the age of 64. My mother, who didn't smoke, but grew up in a home with a father who smoked, then lived for 58 years with a husband who smoked, lived to be 85, older than anyone in our family has ever lived. And when my dad died, the death certificate has a question - "was the death smoking related" and with no evidence whatsoever that smoking had anything to do with it, the doctor marked it "probably". I guess stretching the truth is OK if it helps confirm what you already believe.

I'm certainly not saying that smoking is good for you, but we've been fed such a string of lies by the anti-smoking crowd that the number of dumbasses (as you say) who buy it hook, line, and sinker is incredible.

Rubbish!

"Studies indicate that nonsmokers are also adversely affected by environmental tobacco smoke. There are 4000 chemicals in tobacco with 100 identified poisons and 63 known drugs which cause cancer. The most talked about drug in tobacco is nicotine. Nicotine is vasoconstrictor and a nerve toxin, it has been classified as a class I insecticide. Other poisons include: Arsenic, Cyanide, Formaldehyde (used to embalm bodies), Ammonia Bromide (a toilet cleaner )- Ref. 1. Each year, because of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, an estimated 3,000 nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer, and 300,000 children suffer from lower respiratory tract infections."

Source: CDC

Tobacco Facts and Cancer, Smoking, Larynx Cancer and Quitting

Please spare us the '85 year old people living happy lives with no ill effects from smoking' story. Smoking's damage is so abundant and so clear that it's an embarrassment to state otherwise. Philip Morris admitted knowing back in 1949 that cigarettes caused cancer. My sister-in-law sat down years ago and told me just about the same story you just did. Guess what? The doctors said your smoking has destroyed your body. she has stints up and down both legs, her sister died of emphysema at 58 from smoking, my father and brother died with cancer from smoking. My brother was 56.

Rob

 

[Bird]

Rob, your studies may (or may not) be correct. Yep, you can say your relatives died from smoking, but did you know non-smokers have been known to get cancer, and even emphysema. You can say "he diied, he smoked, so smoking caused him to die" or you can say "he died, he never smoked, so not smoking caused him to die". One makes about as much sense as the other. And I learned long ago that non-smokers all die, too.

Now I quit smoking more than 4 years ago and my wife quit more than 3 years ago, but not for health reasons. And I'm glad our daughters and their husbands don't smoke. I'd love to see everyone quit smoking. Of course the non-smokers have tried to balance budgets by taxing the smokers, so if everyone quit, the anti-smoking crowd would have to pay their fair share of taxes.:laughing: Smoking is expensive, for purchase of tobacco, lighters, etc., it's dirty, the house and the cars stay cleaner if you don't smoke, it's sometimes dangerous and starts fires, smokers frequently have little burn holes in their clothes and car seats, more and more restrictive laws limit where you can smoke, etc. So yep, there's plenty of reasons to not smoke, and to oppose smoking, but to blame all the health problems of mankind on smoking is simply not true.

1. Each year, because of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, an estimated 3,000 nonsmoking Americans die of lung cancer, and 300,000 children suffer from lower respiratory tract infections."

Now, how in the world did someone dream up that number? Oh, yeah, I see; a non-smoker "estimated" that number. Right on!

 

[Rob-D]

Rob, your studies may (or may not) be correct. Yep, you can say your relatives died from smoking, but did you know non-smokers have been known to get cancer, and even emphysema. You can say "he diied, he smoked, so smoking caused him to die" or you can say "he died, he never smoked, so not smoking caused him to die". One makes about as much sense as the other. And I learned long ago that non-smokers all die, too.!

I didn't say it the doctors said it! Yes, everyone dies, it's the quality of life. I can look at someone who smoked their whole life and know immediately that they smoked. Their faces look like prunes, what do you think their arteries look like?

Now I quit smoking more than 4 years ago and my wife quit more than 3 years ago, but not for health reasons.

You smoked until you were 65 or so? Is that what you're saying? I'll bet you're on meds.

... but to blame all the health problems of mankind on smoking is simply not true.

No one claimed that. The claim is that smoking is way up on the list of causes for premature deaths and chronic illness.

Rob