"Put On Your Seatbelt!"

[crazylegs]

Some people are so iron-headed.

Not sufficiently so that they can survive faceplanting on the road...

[Shalom]

When I was a kid, there were no shoulder belts, and nobody ever wore seat belts in the back seat (because there was that bench seat in front of you to stop you from hitting the windshield, and that's all a seatbelt is good for, right?) I rode in cars where there weren't even any seatbelts visible in the back seat, because they'd all gotten stuffed between the seat cushion and seat back.

Heck, I remember my little sister's car seat. It was an upright kind of thing with a padded bar that swung down from overhead, like the restraint on an old roller coaster. Yeesh.

Times have changed all right. I can't drive without a seatbelt, and I won't drive without everyone else in the car wearing theirs, thank you very much.

(Although I stlll feel weird wearing a seatbelt in the back, on the rare occasions I ride in someone else's car. I do it anyway.)

[Pagan]

When I was a kid, there were no shoulder belts, and nobody ever wore seat belts in the back seat

My paternal grandfather died when I was a baby. We lived in Las Cruces, NM and they were in Sierra Vista, AZ, a distance of about 200 miles. There were a lot of trips back and forth in a 1967 Dodge Dart with no air conditioning. In a area where the temps are routinely over 100F in the summer. Well, instead of putting me in a car seat for a hot, sweaty trip, my parents took the mattress out of my crib and put it across the back seat.

You know, it's amazing any of us made it to adulthood!

[AriRashkae]

Don't forget that the population density is increasing in most places, thus increasing the chances of running into an idiot that makes seat belts a lifesaver.

My father and aunt used to walk to the local middle school (1.5 miles or so) in their day. Now, the road is so busy that if you live past a certain point it's considered dangerous and the kids all get bussed, even thought it's within the walking distance.

[protege]

And my grandfather survived a crash once because he was thrown through the windshield (the pole he hit fell on and crushed the car). But he knew it was the exception and wore his belt for most of his adult life.

Holy crap!

My dad never wore his seat belt. That is, until he was pulling out of a parallel spot up on Mt Washington, and some idiot in a speeding, 1970s Pontiac...drove into the side of his car. His little Ford Tempo not only got the driver's door bashed in, but the glass blown out, both mirrors knocked off...as well as getting tossed a good 40 feet down the street He's damn lucky all he got was a mild concussion and facial cuts. Ever since then, he wears his seat belt.

But, the only times I don't wear a seat belt...are when I take the MG out. Why? Simple...there aren't any! The originals were racing-style belts, and a pain in the ass. Not only were they uncomfortable, but they were so tight, I could barely breathe. Guess they'd shrunk a bit over the years As such, I'm very careful with that car, and no...I don't take passengers. Getting myself hurt is one thing, but risking someone else's life? Not sure I could live with myself after that.

In other words, no additional people in the car until I get that sorted. There's a nice set of original-style (but use modern fittings) that will bolt right in. But, as of yet, I've been concerning myself with the running gear

[Mamadrae]

People are stupid.

Too many people treat their car like it's their living room, and let the kids roam around, because....seats and seat belts are too much of a hassle to buckle.

People are stupid.

I'm just waiting to get a ticket myself. My son recently figured out how to unbuckle his seat belt and climb out of his chair. We're working on learning that he needs to stay in it till mommy has turned off the car.

Till then it's a lot of me pulling into a parking lot and yelling at the kid while strapping him back in and contemplating if it's child abuse to restrain him with duck tape.

[AriRashkae]

Not if it can't be seen.

[K'Z'K]

+1

And I don't ride in a vehicle without buckling up myself. I am not being turned into a projectile, thank very much!

I was once turned into a projectile due to not wearing my seatbelt.

It was a week before I turned 14, and my family was driving long-distance for a vacation. We had a minivan, and my brother and I were each sprawled out across the back bench seats.

For reasons unknown, probably debris in the road, two tires blew simultaneously. Dad lost control, and the van started spinning, hitting the left guard rail then careening back across the three lanes of highway.

A couple lanes into this, I was thrown through the window, headfirst. I hit the highway on my back (a bit to one side), and rolled into the breakdown lane. Dad had gotten twisted in his seat and thought he was going to run me over. Fortunately, he managed to stop the van.

Several people stopped to help, including a nurse, and an ambulance arrived quickly. I spent 24 hours in the pediatric ICU, with frequent neurological checks since I had head injuries from smashing open the window with the back of my head and then smacking the highway with my forehead. I was lucky--I only had scrapes and bruises, albeit really nasty ones.

My brother ended up with a sprained ankle and a bruised chin from the massive Stephen King book he was reading, and mom had minor whiplash (she was wearing her seatbelt). The van was nearly totalled, but got repaired (then sold, since none of us wanted to go near it).

So now, the car key doesn't get near the ignition until everyone is buckled up, whether I'm driving or not. Any protests get the above story with all the gory details.

-K'Z'K