# Do you think seat belts "work"?



## holly6737 (Dec 21, 2006)

On the news today there was a story about a local teenager who died in a car crash last night- they hit a tree. He was wearing a seat belt and was killed. His passenger wasn't wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the car. He lived. This just doesn't make sense to me.







It isn't the first time I've heard of stories like this, though. A friend of mine never wears her seat belt (I don't know if she buckles her kids) because her husband was on the volunteer fire dept. (what everyone did in the small, ******* town I grew up in) and claimed that he once had to watch people burn alive because they couldn't get their seat belt undone and the actual fire truck hadn't gotten there yet (or paramedics, etc.) We've always worn our seat belts. I'm not planning on not wearing our seat belts anymore, but I was wondering what your take on it would be. (I did contemplate keeping scissors in the glove compartment though after I heard my friends story about the people who were burned alive- I meant that is scary).


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## ColoradoMama (Nov 22, 2001)

There will always be "freak" accidents like that - and they suck. However, seatbelts save way more lives than they don't save. I was in a crash (hit and run - no less), and my car was totaled. I was 31 weeks pg with my oldest. I needed chiropractic and pt for a while, but if I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt, I am convinced that I would have been seriously hurt and my daughter might have been, too. I saw a car crash when I was 16 where this couple flipped in their Suburban. They landed upside down and because of their seatbelts - they weren't seriously hurt. I could go on and on about this - I don't know anyone who was saved by NOT wearing their seatbelt. I don't know why the news agencies publish this - they just stir up the people who don't want to wear their seatbelts, yk?


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## Emmeline II (Feb 16, 2006)

I'm pulling this out of the memory banks from a discussion I heard on the radio a few years ago as to whether the government should be allowed to require you to wear a seatbelt; the "experts" said:

1-Getting thrown from the vehicle is far (far) more likely to result in death.
2-If you "drive off a cliff into water" and are not wearing a seat belt, you will likely be knocked unconsious and will not have the opportunity to unbuckle your belt.

There may be freak incidences where not wearing a belt saved someone, but you will not know that ahead of time.


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## Outofmymindyo (Jun 29, 2005)

I still wear my seatbelt after hitting a tree when I was 16 with my brother and a friend in the car. They were not wearing them and I was...we all came out fine actually, so I don't think it's the seatbelts themselves that save or take lives, but what other factors there are, but I am glad I was wearing my belt because my brother and friend didn't get thrown ONLY because there were parts of the car that blocked their exit path.

If I hadn't been wearing mine I might have gotten thrown.

You just don't know, and you can never know for sure.


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## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

I agree your survival chances are higher with wearing a seatbelt. I know someone that was drunk and ejected from the vehicle. He died. The other passenger was also drunk, but wearing a seatbelt. He lived.


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## siennasmom (Mar 14, 2006)

My opinion is that basic physics isn't really a matter of opinion.


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## Mama Dragon (Dec 5, 2005)

Of course they work for certain accidents. I was in a roll over with none of us wearing seatbelts and we walked away with 2 tiny scratches. The police officer that happened by (we didn't need to call because there was no damage to anything but our car) said we were damn lucky we hadn't been wearing our belts. We wear them now all the time, but I admit I am a lot more afraid of going out with the kids because of it. I HATE using car seats. The thought of my babies being burned alive is a lot harder to swallow then them being ejected from the car and possibly living. But I do it cause it's the law.


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Yes. There are rare instances where people have survived because they were not wearing seat belts, but as a rule they save lives because they reduce or prevent head/face impact or being ejected from the car.

There will always be the lucky few who defy the odds, but you are more likely to survive by buckling up. There used to be a cop I knew who said _I've *never* unbuckled a dead body._

My personal experience in with and without seatbelt accidents?

With, we were hit by a speeding motorcycle that ran a stop sign with an estimated speed of 50. He hit our car right in front of the passenger door and spun us 360 degrees. The bike flew over 120 feet and the 2 men on the bike ended up at opposite ends of the intersection. Our car was totalled and we came out with bruises on our shoulders from the seatbelts.

Without, 30 mph, someone pulled in front of me from a stop sign, I couldn't get stopped in time and hit my face on the steering wheel, broken nose, banged up knees, crunched front end.

Without 20 to 25 mph, just got the green light, barely into the intersection, Delta 88 Olds runs the light, brand new 16 year old driver broadsides me, crunches the crap out of my car. Knocked me silly for several minutes, I had bumps and bruises all over and wrenched my back.

Without, maybe 30 to 40 mph, as a passenger, idiot driving almost drove into an open trench in the middle of the road, instead jerked the wheel and spun into a pole. I ended up with a huge cut and a sprain that ended up stitched and casted, spent 6 weeks on crutches. Had bruises running up the length of my left side from pressing my body into the console hoping I wouldn't get thrown from the car while we were spinning.

For me, even at very slow speeds, bigger injuries without seatbelts. And I'm a lot more cautious about looking before jumping out into an intersection, and who I let drive.


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## dallaschildren (Jun 14, 2003)

Seat belts absolutely save lives. The design of your vehicle (frame, body style, condition etc.) coupled with your passive and active restraint systems assist in lessening severity of injury or death in the event of a collision also. There are usually many variables involved in every collision. As a result, unless an exact reconstruction could take place of the collision, it is impossible to answer with any degree of certainty why some restrained passengers are killed, and why those who are not restrained, aren't. Your friend is playing russian roulette with her life. *Fewer than one half of one percent of crashes involve fire or water.* If you are restrained, that ups your chances of remaining conscious, and less injured, which will consequently increase your chance of escape.
In addition, anything unrestrained in a MV will continue to move until it is stopped by an outside force (which is a brief definition of Newton's theory of motion). I believe that there is a high probability that the unrestrained passenger flew about the cabin of the car and struck the restrained driver before being ejected, in the crash you described. That is extreme blunt force trauma and unfortunately if the restrained driver was hit by the other occupant, it is likely that is what contributed greatly to his death.

DC


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## boingo82 (Feb 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *siennasmom* 
My opinion is that basic physics isn't really a matter of opinion.









Was going to say the same thing. I believe seatbelts save more lives than they don't, and I also believe in gravity.


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## boingo82 (Feb 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Synthea™* 
Of course they work for certain accidents. I was in a roll over with none of us wearing seatbelts and we walked away with 2 tiny scratches. The police officer that happened by (we didn't need to call because there was no damage to anything but our car) said we were damn lucky we hadn't been wearing our belts. We wear them now all the time, but I admit I am a lot more afraid of going out with the kids because of it. I HATE using car seats. The thought of my babies being burned alive is a lot harder to swallow then them being ejected from the car and possibly living. But I do it cause it's the law.

It's not so much getting ejected that's the problem, it's getting HALF ejected, which is pretty common in rollovers.


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## Tofu the Geek (Dec 2, 2003)

My uncle NEVER wears his seatbelt. He was in an accident not wearing his seatbelt and his friend who was wearing a seatbelt was killed. Since then, he figures he is better off without one. Then, a few years ago he was in another very serious accident with 2 of his friends. 2 were not wearing seatbelts, one was. My uncle (not wearing seatbelt) was thrown from the vehicle some crazy distance and people searched for him for around 24 hours until he was found, ALIVE. Barely alive, but alive nonetheless and he has recovered (not sure if he has any issues remaining from the accident but he's back working and living life normally). Both of his friends were killed, one wearing seatbelt and one not.

I don't really know what this anecdotal story proves (likely nothing), but my uncle is the only one I know that has been in a serious car accident and both times he survived while NOT wearing a seatbelt and while others in the vehicle wearing seatbelts were killed (although in his 2nd accident another person not wearing a seatbelt was also killed). Both were highway accidents. I always say that he's the luckiest unlucky guy I know.

That being said, everyone in my immediate family (including myself) wears their seatbelts and I always buckle up the kids and am a proponent of extended rear facing, extended harnessing, and extended booster seat use.

ETA: DH and I were rear-ended a couple years ago while stopped at a light. We were hit so hard that it pushed our vehicle across the entire intersection and it caused $15,000 damage to our vehicle. My seatbelt locked and my head flung back and hit the headrest (the whole point of the headrest!) and I had a headache for 2 days, and a serious case of whiplash. So, in my case my seatbelt and headrest did exactly what they were designed to do and without my seatbelt, maybe I would have gone through the windshield or would have been slammed into the dash at the very least.


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## mightymoo (Dec 6, 2003)

I believe in scientific evidence, not anecdotal evidence.

There are times in my life where I've done everything I'm supposed to do and still been the 1% that has the bad thing happen (my births come to mind) yet I still believe that the things I did were the right thing to do, because they've been scientifically proven.

If you are worried about being trapped in the seatbelt, get one of those seatbelt cutters and make sure you keep it right by the driver's seatbelt.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Does physics 'work'?


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## MomToKandE (Mar 11, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mightymoo* 
I believe in scientific evidence, not anecdotal evidence.

Yeah, that but here's my anecdote:

I was in an bad accident wearing my seatbelt. I would have hit the windshield without one. I called my mother when I got home and thanked her for teaching us to always wear our seatbelts.


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## boingo82 (Feb 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *TechnoGranola* 
I don't really know what this anecdotal story proves (likely nothing),..

I don't know, was he also FF and completely healthy?


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## Tofu the Geek (Dec 2, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boingo82* 
I don't know, was he also FF and completely healthy?









Good one! But really though, he survived, not one, but TWO deadly accidents without a seatbelt. I think he should start wearing his seatbelt AND buy a lottery ticket.


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## Pynki (Aug 19, 2002)

They do save lives, but in really really bad accidents, they just help the rescue team find the bodies.

My dad was an EMT for 15 years. That was his take on it. He'd seen plenty of accidents. Some he had to drink when he got home. I agree with my dad. They DO save lives, but sometimes, they just makeit easier to find the bodies.


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## mightymoo (Dec 6, 2003)

My favorite one is 'We never wore seatbelts when we were kids and we all survived'

Uh yeah, cuz the ones that didn't survive AREN'T HERE TO TALK ABOUT IT!







:


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## sunnybear (Nov 18, 2004)

It certainly saved me from going through the windshield when we were in an accident in 2004...

Interestingly enough, when we were pulling out of the parking lot less the a minute before getting hit, I was very tired and leaned the seat back and figured I didn't need one. Then I got that little voice in my head that told me to buckle up, and just moments later we were hit, hard.


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## StrawberryFields (Apr 6, 2005)

I think seat belts work, I just don't think they are a GUARANTEE that you will survive. Just like when people say, "Well, so and so breastfed and her son got a cold last week." Being breastfed doesn't mean you are a superhuman and neither does wearing a seat belt. KWIM?


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

My mother might not be alive today if she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt when a 17yo kid drove his SUV into my parents' compact car. My Dad wasn't wearing his seatbelt at the time- his injuries were less severe than hers, but that had a lot to do with the angle of the impact- he might not have been hospitalized at all had his seatbelt been on.

Ever since then, he's been wearing his seatbelt faithfully. (Well, he couldn't during recovery when he couldn't bend his casted leg, and had to sprawl across the entire back seat to go visit Mom in the hospital, but after that he's always worn it.)


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## kittywitty (Jul 5, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pynki* 
They do save lives, but in really really bad accidents, they just help the rescue team find the bodies.

My dad was an EMT for 15 years. That was his take on it. He'd seen plenty of accidents. Some he had to drink when he got home. I agree with my dad. They DO save lives, but sometimes, they just makeit easier to find the bodies.









:

As a former EMT. They more often than not do their jobs. Nothing in life is 100% and there are always freak occurences. You can't predict which one you will end up on, so seeing how wearing a seat belt doesn't hurt you, it's best not to take the risk.


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## stormborn (Dec 8, 2001)

If they hold.







: I was in a wreck last week wearing one and I'm pretty sure it malfunctioned. Half my scalp got peeled off so either I hit the glass or the roof. Maybe I got hit in such a way that it didn't lock up the way it was supposed to.







I wouldn't drive without one though.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

One of the biggest mistakes people make with seatbelts is not putting them on properly.

THey are not going to be as effective unless you cinch the lap belt portion and pull the shoulder belt back. The lap belt needs to be low and tight on your hips/thighs. It shouldn't be resting loosely. Just clicking the seatbelt isn't enough in most cases, you need to adjust it after the fact.


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

If my DH was wearing a seatbelt when he had his car accident there is no doubt in my mind he would be alive right now







the awful thing is I never saw him NOT wear his seatbelt EVER. not once. it just takes one time..


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## coldfeet (Jun 2, 2006)

I think seat belts work.

I know that there are freak accidents like the one the OP described, but I think overall on average they save more lives than not.

Often times, I think about something horrible happening where I wouldn't be able to unbuckle myself in time. Or if I landed in water, would I be able to get my kids out of their carseats before they drowned? I believe, though, that there are emergency kits that you could keep in your car that contain a cutter for seatbelts and a glass breaker. Since a pair of scissors would be difficult to cut seatbelts with and automotive glass is hard to break through if you don't do it correctly.


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## ThreeBeans (Dec 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rainbowmoon* 
If my DH was wearing a seatbelt when he had his car accident there is no doubt in my mind he would be alive right now







the awful thing is I never saw him NOT wear his seatbelt EVER. not once. it just takes one time..

i am so sorry


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## coldfeet (Jun 2, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rainbowmoon* 
If my DH was wearing a seatbelt when he had his car accident there is no doubt in my mind he would be alive right now







the awful thing is I never saw him NOT wear his seatbelt EVER. not once. it just takes one time..

Awww.... mama


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rainbowmoon* 
If my DH was wearing a seatbelt when he had his car accident there is no doubt in my mind he would be alive right now







the awful thing is I never saw him NOT wear his seatbelt EVER. not once. it just takes one time..

I have known at least 3 people that has happened to.









I'm so sorry.


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## KatWrangler (Mar 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rainbowmoon* 
If my DH was wearing a seatbelt when he had his car accident there is no doubt in my mind he would be alive right now







the awful thing is I never saw him NOT wear his seatbelt EVER. not once. it just takes one time..

Oh Mama


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

oh I didn't mean to be all dramatic. but thanks mamas. just something to think about is all!







:

my DH accident wasn't very serious actually (as in damage to the car or whatever-the air bag didn't even deploy and I think the towing did more damage to the car than the actual accident) the police suspect the rear tire blew out but no one knows for sure as it happened in the middle of the night and there was no witnesses.. he hit his head on the rear view mirror and passed out in a position that basically suffocated him by not allowing his lungs to breathe (positional asphyxia). if he had his seatbelt on he would have stayed upright and likely lived. very freak accident. I drive the car still and make sure to ALWAYS wear that seatbelt!


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## rainbowmoon (Oct 17, 2003)

btw I had a good friend in my high school drown because her seatbelt was stuck and she could not get out and her passenger could not get her out. (she went off an icy bridge into a fairly sizeable stream) she died a week later due to complications of the drowning. another freak accident. I still wear my seatbelt.

driving is dangerous period.


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## tboroson (Nov 19, 2002)

Just to play devil's advocate (because truth is, I'm a seatbelt fascist...), one big difference between "scientific evidence" vs. "anecdotes" is that none of us performed the data collection and evaluation. It's certainly well known that "scientific evidence" is often as airtight as a sieve. It's manipulated, sometimes made up whole-cloth. "Scientific evidence" tells us that vaccinations save lives, that circumcision helps prevent sexually transmitted diseases, and that there's no difference between organic and conventional food. But here on MDC, almost everyone believes differently on at least one if not all three of those topics. So, I don't think that questioning anything presented to us as "scientific evidence" is uncalled for.


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## boingo82 (Feb 19, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *tboroson* 
Just to play devil's advocate (because truth is, I'm a seatbelt fascist...), one big difference between "scientific evidence" vs. "anecdotes" is that none of us performed the data collection and evaluation. It's certainly well known that "scientific evidence" is often as airtight as a sieve. It's manipulated, sometimes made up whole-cloth. "Scientific evidence" tells us that vaccinations save lives, that circumcision helps prevent sexually transmitted diseases, and that there's no difference between organic and conventional food. But here on MDC, almost everyone believes differently on at least one if not all three of those topics. So, I don't think that questioning anything presented to us as "scientific evidence" is uncalled for.

The scientific evidence just confirms what physics and common sense and experience has already told us - that uncontrolled deceleration of the human body is far more harmful than controlled deceleration.


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## ChattyCat (Sep 7, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *rainbowmoon* 
If my DH was wearing a seatbelt when he had his car accident there is no doubt in my mind he would be alive right now







the awful thing is I never saw him NOT wear his seatbelt EVER. not once. it just takes one time..























I don't have enough hugs for you.


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## WNB (Apr 29, 2006)

I think that seatbelts work -- meaning they prevent and reduce the severity of many injuries -- but I also think that restraint systems in vehicles could and should work better. I don't understand why we are still relying on what is at least 30 year old technology for safety when it's clear that seatbelts do not suffice for some pretty broad segments of society (small adults, children, extra large adults, etc.).


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## Synchro246 (Aug 8, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *siennasmom* 
My opinion is that basic physics isn't really a matter of opinion.

























:


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## LaughingHyena (May 4, 2004)

we carry one of these in our car just in case
https://www.evaq8.co.uk/merchantmana...3f81beb536d205

It fastens into the carpet of the car, it took us a while to find somewhere where both DH and I could reach it with our seatbelt on. Of course it could become another projectile in a crash but I think I prefer having it anyway.


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## JustJamie (Apr 24, 2006)

Wearing his seatbelt saved my brother's life on two separate occasions.

The first time, he was in high school - 14? I think...a friend of his was 16 and had just gotten a car; she was giving him a ride to school, hit a patch of ice and didn't know what to do - she kept pressing the gas even though the tires were spinning. They grabbed traction, and the car shot out into the middle of traffic, causing a 7 car pile up. My brother was in the ICU for three weeks after the accident.

The 2nd time, we were at my best friend's 21st birthday party, and another friend wanted us to go pick him up because he didn't know how to get to my friend's house. I handed my brother my car keys, cause he had "only" had 2 or 3 beers, while I'd been matching my best friend shot-for-shot all night, including during the traditional "21 shots on your 21st birthday". He was going down an unlit country road, says he saw a dog in the road, and swerved to avoid it - ended up driving down into a ravine about 20-30 feet deep. My car was totaled.







: Fortunately, it had the automatic shoulder harness that's attached to the door, and dinged really obnoxiously if you ever unhooked it. He wasn't wearing the lap belt.


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## Hera (Feb 4, 2002)

I don't know anyone who has died in an accident while wearing a seatbelt, but my dp and I have each lost aunts who were unbuckled. Mine was nursing her 9 month old baby in the back of a Vanagon. Her FIL who was buckled and driving walked away. The baby suffered a skull fracture but is a healthy, normal teenager now. Dp's aunt was napping across the backseat of an SUV, her son was driving.


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## she (Apr 27, 2005)

I rarely post here, but I had to add my story....

My family and I were in a serious accident last winter. The car rolled into the ditch. The kids (3 yrs and 8 mos, at the time) and I were completely UNHARMED by the accident because of being secured. DH suffered a pretty severe concussion from the car roof hitting his head, but he wouldn't be alive at all had he not been belted. The amount of room left between the steering wheel and the collapsed roof barely allowed for his head, if he had been in any other position other than crouched over the wheel, he'd be gone.


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## marybethorama (Jun 9, 2005)

There was an accident the day before yesterday. The passenger was ejected and killed. She would have lived if she had worn a seat belt.


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## superstella (Aug 25, 2006)

I think that if it's my time then a seat belt isn't going to save me. However, if it's not my time then wearing one will certainly make my recovery much easier in the event of an accident. No sense putting myself through unnecessary pain and suffering.


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## MCatLvrMom2A&X (Nov 18, 2004)

I think they do help to minimize the amount of damage done in most accidents. If your vehicle has a airbag a seat belt is a must since the air bag can do some major damage without it.

Having said that if it is your time to go it wont matter if you are wearing one or not. So for me wearing one is about minimizing the damage done and doing everything I can to protect myself so that if something does happen I know I did the best I knew how to do.

My kids have never been out on the road without being in a carseat and firmly buckled in and never will be. I could never forgive myself if I had a wreck and they were seriously harmed or killed if they were not. But if they are buckled in and heaven forbid that happened I would know for a fact I had done everything I could to protect them.


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## toddlermama16 (Jun 21, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *boingo82* 
It's not so much getting ejected that's the problem, it's getting HALF ejected, which is pretty common in rollovers.

Yes, this.


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## bigeyes (Apr 5, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *marybethorama* 
There was an accident the day before yesterday. The passenger was ejected and killed. She would have lived if she had worn a seat belt.









I'm so sorry.


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## stellimamo (Jan 9, 2006)

As a former car insurance adjuster (I worked with catastrophic cases) I saw FAR less fatalities in people who wore seatbelts. If there was a fatality 9 times out of 10 the person was not wearing a seat belt (and ejected) or was on a motorcycle.


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## roxyrox (Sep 11, 2006)

I do think seatbelts work a lot of the time. Sometimes occasionaly they don't. There has been such a sad story in the news here this week -4 children out of a family of 7 died when their landrover ploughed into water.









If they hadn't been strapped in, they would have been able to get out.

Quote:

All nine family members were taken to hospital after Sunday's drama, but the youngest child, Willow, who was just weeks from her third birthday, died hours later. On Monday her eight-year- old sister Keavy died, and on Tuesday so did four-year-old Angel and her sixyearold brother Thor.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...EWS&ICL=TOPART
So sad.


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## rharr! (Nov 9, 2005)

Seatbelts have saved dd and my lives on a few occasions. I can say for sure if we hadnt of been buckled in we would be seriously injured or dead.

About 2 years ago there was a mother on an online community that made a quick trip to the grocery store. The mother was driving and buckled up. Her 9 year old was in the front unbuckled. The grandma was in teh back holding and infant. The grandma was buckled. there was a 4? yr old in the back as well unbuckled.
Mother made a bad judgement call and turned in front of a truck and was hit. The nine year old died on impact. The infant was thrown from the car and survived. The four year old was thrown from the car and died. The two adults who were buckled up survived.
I think I am missing a two year old in there. I think, there was another child, unbuckled, was trown, died enroute to the hospital.

I am thinking, that if all of theses children had of been in carseats and buckled in, they would have stood a greater chance of living.

I can see how people panick and cannot unbuckle themselves in the case of fire. That happened briefly to me when I was pregnant and had a big crash. I forced my door open, but couldnt get out of the car. I almost pannicked before remembering I was buckled in.

I WOuld rather take my chances with a seatbelt, than without.


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## mirlee (Jul 30, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *holly6737* 
On the news today there was a story about a local teenager who died in a car crash last night- they hit a tree. He was wearing a seat belt and was killed. His passenger wasn't wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the car. He lived.


This exact scenario happened my Jr. year of high school. It was so very difficult to deal with. My friend, the survivor, had to undergo a lot of grief counseling.

Back in 1961, my grandfather had seat belts installed in his car because he and my aunt were going to be driving to Manhattan to visit family. Seat belts saved their lives. On the way home, my grandfather fell asleep at the wheel and drove off of a bridge. He was in critical condition and everything that could be put in a cast was in a cast. He spent weeks in the hospital. My aunt, miraculously, only had minor bruises. Had they not been wearing seat belts, the would have both died in the accident.

I personally, feel naked without a seatbelt when in the front seat of a car, though I rarely wear one in the back seat.


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## WNB (Apr 29, 2006)

The anecdotes about people being unable to unbuckle the belts fast enough to escape -- that's another aspect of what I'm saying about how seat belts should work BETTER than they do.

You can't tell me that car manufacturers couldn't figure out how to stick a motion sensor into a vehicle that would automatically unbuckle the belt after a crash. Who knows how many people do not buckle up b/c they worry (quite reasonably) they won't be able to unbuckle them in a crisis situation? We shouldn't HAVE to futz with the buckle in a crisis situation.


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## delphiniumpansy (Mar 1, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ColoradoMama* 
There will always be "freak" accidents like that - and they suck. However, seatbelts save way more lives than they don't save.

I agree. What if the kid who was ejected from the car (story post #1) was rolled over on by the car and the one in the seatbelt saved because he was not crushed? Statistically, they save lives.


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## rabrog (Dec 20, 2005)

As opposed to having other trauma or death from being thrown from the car, around the inside of the car in an accident? Yes, I think seatbelts work. I also think there will always be an accident where, if the person hadn't been wearing the seat belt, they would be fine. But I think those are far outnumbered by the accidents where the seatbelts were worn and everyone was okay.

Jenn


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## beanma (Jan 6, 2002)

awww, that is so sad about the kids who died strapped in, but who's to say it was the seatbelts that kept them in the car? i mean i don't know the details, but if kids aren't big enough to unbuckle and get themselves out and the parents can't do it (knocked unconscious, or too injured) i don't see that them being strapped in necessarily keeping them in the car. a two year old probably can't open the door of the car even if not strapped in, y'know? i just don't think that argument works with me. i mean a lot has to depend on the condition of the adults in the vehicle and a lot has to depend on the condition of the vehicle itself -- is it on it's side? is the door so banged up it won't open? i don't think being strapped in is going to prevent someone from being rescued in most cases. if the rescuer is not injured and can get to the seat belt then they can probably unlatch it or cut it (if they're a EMT type who has the equipment). i think the chances are greater that the door won't open than that the seatbelt won't release, but that's just a big old guess on my part.

to add my true-life anecdotes to the story. we had a friend who never wore his seatbelt and he died going through the windshield. i totaled a car (spun into a telephone pole) and pretty much walked away. (i had a compression fracture of my spine, but had no problem walking later and was trying to unbuckle my seatbelt when somebody came to the car.)


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## lalaland42 (Mar 12, 2006)

I too would rather take my chances with my seatbelt buckled. One thing that I didn't see mentioned is that the different passengers are in different seating positions which I am sure makes a big difference in accidents.

I have been in several accidents (none my fault) but the worst one:

I was moving all of my stuff to storage before going on an 8 month trip around the world. I rented a van with a cage to protect in case of accident but at the time I didn't realize how important that was. On the highway, I was going 55 mph when a 16 yo in a pickup hit me head on. The airbag deployed and my furniture hit the metal cage. -Some of it was destroyed but the cage held. I walked away with a sprained wrist but I went to the ER the next day to make sure my wrist wasn't fractured. The ER doctor told me that I was _very, very_ lucky all I had was some pain and a sprained wrist after being hit head on at freeway speeds. I tend to believe him but I also think the seatbelt and airbag helped.


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## rabrog (Dec 20, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *WNB* 
You can't tell me that car manufacturers couldn't figure out how to stick a motion sensor into a vehicle that would automatically unbuckle the belt after a crash.

You're right, they could. And there would be numerous lawsuits filed when the sensor malfunctioned in an accident. Technology is good, but it's not always an improvement. There's also the highly likely scenario where, because the sensor didn't release the seatbelt, the seatbelt is stuck and cannot be undone by the driver/passenger. You'd have to make the seatbelt automatic also and that could get jammed in a crash.

BTW, not trying to argue, just giving a reason why this probably hasn't been done.

Jenn


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## Starr (Mar 16, 2005)

Dh has a video somewhere of a camera in the car and they are hit by another car. The passenger wasn't wearing a seatbelt and you can see him being tossed around like in a washing machine. He said also from accidents he has responded too people not wearing a seatbelt can end up half in and half out which makes it terrible if the car rolls.

Applying the same logic of not wearing a seat belt is better, how would that differ from not using a carseat? Wouldn't you want your child strapped and secured rather than being tossed out of the vehicle?


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## Novella (Nov 8, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mirlee* 
I personally, feel naked without a seatbelt when in the front seat of a car, though I rarely wear one in the back seat.

Yikes, then if I'm driving, you're walking!







Seriously though, have you considered that you could kill the person seated in front of you? (This is similar to all the advice about restraining any cargo in your vehicle). We used to have a PSA on TV up here that cited the forces involved if the unrestrained 5-year-old in the back seat of the car came flying toward his father's head in a crash at 40 or 50km/hr. It was astonishing! Beyond that, car seats are not made to withstand the forces of unrestrained passengers hitting them from behind.

Quote:


Originally Posted by *yellowpansy* 
I agree. What if the kid who was ejected from the car (story post #1) was rolled over on by the car and the one in the seatbelt saved because he was not crushed? Statistically, they save lives.

Yep. I know of at least 3 accidents in the surrounding small towns where the ejected person was killed b/c the car rolled over on him/her.


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## Stinkerbell (Aug 11, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *siennasmom* 
My opinion is that basic physics isn't really a matter of opinion.









I agree. History and facts speak for themselves and until I see proof otherwise, I sure as heck wont drive my car without all passengers buckled up.


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## beanandpumpkin (Jan 2, 2005)

Well, we had a rollover accident a couple of years ago. I was all bruised from my seatbelt, and all of the windows were shattered... lots of stuff got ejected from the car, and thankfully we were all safely held in by our seatbelts/carseats. I'm sure that I would have been ejected without my seatbelt buckled, simply from the bruising... my body was straining against the belt while we flipped, apparently. I did end up tearing a ligament in my wrist and getting whiplash-type injuries, and a few cuts and bruises, but was fine otherwise.

The EMTs who came were happily surprised that the kids were buckled correctly in their tightly installed 5 point harness carseats. One did say "Good for you, using your carseats properly, that's the best thing you could have done for them." The kids walked away with minor scratches and slight bruising from their harness clips.

So in a word, YES, I believe seatbelts work. Not every time, and not in every accident, but for the most part, yes.


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## Meiri (Aug 31, 2002)

Quote:

My opinion is that basic physics isn't really a matter of opinion.
Yup, which is why I find the airplane policies so astonishingly stupid.

Quote:

The thought of my babies being burned alive is a lot harder to swallow then them being ejected from the car and possibly living.
They are not likely to live if ejected from the vehicle. An ejected person can be hit by the vehicle, hit by other vehicles, land on something impaling, crash into a tree or other such object UNprotected, etc.

I've seen what a carseat can do, last call I ever worked as an EMT. Baby in carseat rode the crumpling of the car (as in it was like a *ball*, and the firefighters were convinced it was a bodycall) up into an open enough space. The seatbelt had snapped while the carseat protected that baby like he was in a bubble.

Amazingly enough, the father was not crushed, though it took over an hour to get him out and most of one side of his body was broken in one way or another.


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