Seat belts

[Jeret.com]

Today a legendary coach, Herb Brooks, died in Minnesota.

For hockey fans, this is a tough loss. He was the man behind the "Miracle on Ice" team.

But listening to Sportscenter tonight they said it is not believed that he wore his seatbelt.

Folks, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to wear your seat belt. These things save lives and today proved it for the millionth time.

At any speed, seat belts save lives.

Please buckle up.

Thank you.

[rrrr]

I have friends that have been in wrecks, and some dead friends that have been in wrecks. Can you guess what made the difference?

Here's my latest seat belt experience...just a couple of bruises. Tip: If you drop a coke on the floor, don't go after it.

[Doc Austin]

Originally posted by rrrr
Tip: If you drop a coke on the floor, don't go after it.

The other day I was passed by an apparently driverless car. After a few seconds, the driver appeared from the floor of the passenge side, happy to have retrieved his dropped joint.

[indyracer56]

Originally posted by Doc Austin
The other day I was passed by an apparently driverless car. After a few seconds, the driver appeared from the floor of the passenge side, happy to have retrieved his dropped joint.

How did you know it was a joint?

[Doc Austin]

Originally posted by indyracer56
How did you know it was a joint?

I've seen, errrrrrrrr, a few before.

[KnockOff]

rrrr, what busted the passenger side windshield?

[dog-ring]

Originally posted by KnockOff
rrrr, what busted the passenger side windshield?

His bottle of Trim Spa..........

[rrrr]

Originally posted by KnockOff
rrrr, what busted the passenger side windshield?

The air bag cover flipped up and got the windshield. When I saw the bridge support coming I knew I was gonna get "bagged", just had enough time to move my hands to the bottom of the steering wheel.

I have heard that broken arms and noses are common when the air bag deploys.

I like my new Excursion a lot better.

[indyracer56]

Originally posted by rrrr

At least it was only a Ford!

[Doctorindy]

Re: Seat belts

Originally posted by Jeret.com
Folks, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to wear your seat belt. These things save lives and today proved it for the millionth time.

At any speed, seat belts save lives.

Please buckle up.

Thank you.

I emphasise that to my friends/family until I'm blue in the face.

There are always a few who keep telling me they'd "rather be thrown from the car than be stuck in it"...

For that I tell them that probably since they have a phone in one hand and a beer in the other, their chances off the bat are diminished

Seriously though, I worked in a toll booth several years ago, and you'd be SHOCKED about what you'd see. Countless times I'd see people with:

-A beer in their hand, and even more times they have at least a beer in the cup holder.
-Dozens of times I'd see people holding a baby in their lap while they're driving, disregarding the fact that it should be in a car seat in the back seat.
-One fellow had taped his laptop computer to his steering wheel, presumably so he could work on it while he was driving.
-Dozens of people with TV's on the dashboard.
-One guys has cut his steering wheel on the top and bottom, it looked like a go-kart "butterfly" steering wheel...crazy, at least he could see what speed he was going
-One woman held the steering wheel from behind...she had her arms/hands resting along the back of the wheel, in such a way that per palms faced herself, and wrapped the fingertips towards he around the wheel...good car control there...
-Hundreds of times I've seen people driving with the emergency brake on...the smoke, and one time the fire, was visible on the back wheel...not to mention the smell..
-once I saw a guy driving a car that had had its airbags deployed..he just pushed them aside...

But perhaps the worst thing we ever saw was one guy who tried to pay (in pennies, mind you) with the pennies put in a condom.

Horrible, scary things I saw in those 5 years working there...

[PHJIndy]

I have a dear friend that just retired from the Indianapolis Police Department, and she told me that when she worked traffic, for many years, she NEVER unbuckled a dead person.

[JoeBob]

Herb Brooks crashed not far from where I live. His body was found 30-40 yards from the van, in the path of its rollover.

In this morning's newspaper, the state patrol stated that there was room inside of his van for him to survive. Unfortunately, he was not buckled in, and was thrown from the van. If you are thrown from your vehicle, your odds of survival become very, very small.

More on the crash, how it happened, and what the outcome might have been can be found here: http://www.startribune.com/stories/462/4038249.html

[Doctorindy]

Originally posted by JoeBob
Herb Brooks crashed not far from where I live. His body was found 30-40 yards from the van, in the path of its rollover.

Very similiar thing happened with the Orlando Predators arena football coach Fran Papasedero in Orlando, except he also had alcohol in his system.

It is quite amazing, and most people will NEVER believe it unless they see it, but the human body is a horribly effective projectile in an auto accident.

I've seen reports where bodies, all unbuckled, flew out of the front window, side window, back window, sunroof and more. It's amazing how the body can literally get shot out of any small, seemingly meaningless "hole" in the car. Some reports, like that one above, have the body flying 40 or more yards. I think I've read some upwards of 100 yards

A seat belt may keep you stuck in the car for a while, but the mere though of every bone in your body shattering upon impact, which can be at 30 or more mph, on a completely unforgiving concrete or asphalt surface, make not buckling up about as dumb a thing as there is.

I saw a documentary that the military did about the first mainstream effectiveness tests for use of belts, done I think in the 1940s. Unbelieveable footage of staged crashes, and the first-ever crash test dummies flying through windows for dozens of yards, then rolling for a dozen or more after that. From that point on, research led to seat belts being mainstream in all cars on the road.

Lastly, I figure this much...all the major auto companies spend millions of dollars, and endless research developing safety restraints in cars. Some people's jobs are nothing but developing seat belts and more seemingly simple devices to save lives. Being so ignorant or unconvinced to not wear seat belts is a complete slap in the face for thousands of people who devote their lives to trying to save you.

[JoeBob]

Many state police departments have a rollover simulator. If you ever get a chance to see a demonstration, you should watch. The violence absorbed by an unbuckled passgener (and those unfortuniate enough to be in a vehicle with an unrestrained passenger) even in a slow roll is remarkable.

[mnkywrch]

My wife and I were involved in a rollover.

Thanks to seat belts, I'm here to be a pain in the arse. Without them, I would be a former poster.

And, yep, it's amazing the violence of a rollover... coulda used a HANS...

if you're worried about being crushed in your car, ditch your SUV for a vehicle that's required to be able to support its weight on its roof. (Many SUV's don't.)

We laugh now, but arguments with kids about belts will now be real short:

Kid: Why do I have to wear my seat belt?
Parent: Because without them, you wouldn't be here to whine about it.