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View Full Version : Wear you seatbelt--Please



Chris McDowell
09-12-2007, 1:09 AM
I'm in my shop on a typical Friday morning finishing up some cabinet assembly. I noticed I was out of washers, which I use to shim various things, so I decided to go to the local store and pick up a pack. The store is at the bottom of the hill, I live on only 2 miles away. Get to within 1/4 of a mile from the store and some lady in a mini van pulls up to the stop sign at the intersection.
I'm on Route 1 and she is at the end of Route 146. Now 146 literally ends at 1 and you either turn left and go north or right and go south. But 1 is continuous traffic. Any way she looks right at me as she pulls up to the stop sign, and I thought good she sees me and is waiting for me to go by. Wrong--she waits until I am within 25 feet of her and pulls right out in front of me. I had just enough time to cut the wheel and hit her right at the steer tire on the drivers side instead of the drivers side door. I hit her running a little under 60MPH.
Turns out she had two kids in the mini van, neither of which was buckled in, and absolutely no insurance whatsoever. She, her boyfriend and both kids had to be taken to the hospital because none of them was buckled up. How stupid can you be to not buckle your children up in a car.
After all the dust was settled my truck was totaled and I was a little bruised but very thankful to be alive. I have always worn my seatbelt and I hope this is a reminder to all of you out there to do the same. Make sure you and your kids are buckled in you never know when it could happen to you.
Chris

Jude Kingery
09-12-2007, 1:34 AM
Hey Chris, I'm glad you're ok. And yes, it is a good reminder to everybody. I worked 12 years as a paramedic and it is amazing what seat belts can prevent in terms of injuries and what people suffer without them. I wore them long before they were required. Anyway. Great reminder. Hope you're ok and not too sore! Keep well. Jude

Greg Crawford
09-12-2007, 8:37 AM
Wow Chris! Really glad you're OK physically. I imagine it'll be a long time (if ever) before you get over the incident in your mind. I can't believe people don't care enough about their kids to keep them safe.

Jim Becker
09-12-2007, 8:43 AM
I'm a seatbelt maniac. My vehicle doesn't move until everyone's belt is buckled...everyone. Even folks who "don't believe in them" and even object. I use the seatbelt to move the car in the driveway, even if it's just a few feet. If I'm in the driver's seat and the engine is running...my belt is on. Same with the tractor. I wear seatbelts in cabs...and buses if they have them.

Some may remember our accident back in early May when my Highlander got sandwiched at speed on the PA Turnpike on the way to the airport for our vacation. $25K damage. Air bags deployed. Zero injuries...we all had our seatbelts on. Yup...I'm a believer.

Dan Mages
09-12-2007, 8:53 AM
Yowsers! I'm glad to hear you are okay. I make it a policy to call the police if I see any vehicles with kids bouncing around in the back.

The worst I have seen of late is a person driving an SUV with the rear gate open to allow for the plywood and other stuff from a Home Depot run and there were two kids sitting on top of the plywood, not in a seat or strapped in in any way. How stupid can this person be? I did call the police and filed a child endagerment complaint against the driver. I just hope they were caught.

Dan

Dennis Peacock
09-12-2007, 8:56 AM
Thanks Chris for the reminder and I too, am glad to hear that you are ok. Around here as well Chris, I see people that don't put their kids in seatbelts.

Ken Fitzgerald
09-12-2007, 8:56 AM
Chris sorry to hear about the vehicle loss and bruises! Glad to hear you were wearing your seatbelt. I have walked away from two wrecks where the car I was driving was totaled...........Yes sir! I always wear my seatbelt.....my kids wear their seatbelts too! Start 'em when they are young ......then they feel naked without them!

Benjamin Dahl
09-12-2007, 10:12 AM
Chris, glad you are ok. It is stories like this that make me wonder why seat belt use is still optional for truck drivers here in Georgia. I drive a pickup and always belt up, but for some reason it is optional while mandatory for cars. I don't remember the exact figures, but the majority of accidents happen within 10 miles of one's home. stay safe.
Ben

Ken Garlock
09-12-2007, 11:24 AM
Chris, I am glad to hear that you are OK. Rotten deal about the insurance.

IMO, what you experienced was Darwin at work. Some people are just to stupid to live. Unfortunately, the children were also involved.

Gary Keedwell
09-12-2007, 12:52 PM
I personally don't wear one.

Gary K.

Art Mulder
09-12-2007, 1:48 PM
I'm a seatbelt maniac. My vehicle doesn't move until everyone's belt is buckled...everyone.

I'm with Jim on this.
I'm still continually surprised at the number of times I see people putting on a seatbelt as they're driving. Usually it is in a parking lot as they approach the street. I just don't get it... why would you put the car in gear, start driving, and then buckle up? I can't be easier!

My seatbelt goes on before the key gets turned.


and absolutely no insurance whatsoever.

Sorry to hear that, Chris. I hope your own insurance works out.

Why do people drive without insurance!
Are there still States where you are allowed to drive without insurance?

Here in Ontario, I need to provide proof of insurance (company name + policy number) every year when I renew my car's license plate. If you don't got it, you don't get a license.

(Sure, I could let it lapse after renewing my plate, but if I'm ever pulled over and the cop asks to see my ownership + insurance... toast.)

drive safely! Buckle up your kids!

ps: Just a final note. Here in Ontario, just in the past half year, legislation was brought in making it illegal to have more people in a car than seatbelts. No more cramming 4-5 kids into the back of a car. I was actually surprised to learn that this was not already the law.

Kyle Kraft
09-12-2007, 1:56 PM
I always buckle up. As for those who don't, I only have two words....natural selection. Think about it.

Chuck Wintle
09-12-2007, 2:10 PM
I'm curious, Are recent model cars sold in the United States required to have daytime running lights?

John Mihich
09-12-2007, 2:49 PM
Several years ago I owned a 76 TR7that I rear ended a lady. I wasn't wearing a belt but got REAL lucky. The steering wheel was designed to drop so all I go was a bump on the head. I have wore a belt since.

Locally a lady tried to beat a train and lost. She and 2 of her kids were not belted - they all died. The other 2 kids were belted and survide. She was alive for about a week b/4 she died. There was talk about charging her for manslaughter because of the kids.

Bart Leetch
09-12-2007, 3:39 PM
I personally don't wear one.

Gary K.



Why???:D :D

Are you ignorant = untaught innocence?:) :)

Or stupid = you gotta work at being stupid?:) :) :)

Or just tempting fate to see how long you can go before it happens?:eek: :) :D

Jim O'Dell
09-12-2007, 4:05 PM
I didn't always wear seat belts, but I have for the last 29 years. LOML was going to work when I was at Baylor, rainy day, not wearing a belt, driving my standard shift Maxda RX-3 (had only been driving a standard for 2 weeks). A Ford 1/2 ton truck pulled out in front of her on the hwy. She T-boned him, totaled both vehicles. She was not wearing the belt, but was very very lucky. She collapsed the steering wheel slightly, hit her head on the windshield (still has a flatspot in the middle that doesn't wrinkle) and her knees hit the keys. Had to have 4 stitches in her knee, and was more upset about the wool pants being ruined that she had just made!! But she wouldn't have had any injurys if she had been wearing the seat belt. Ever since then, neither one of us get in a vehicle, driving or not, without buckling up.
In Texas for a while, it was legal in a PU not to wear a belt, not now. It was a farmer thing. IIRC it's a 50.00 fine if you are caught with out the belt on. Driver's fined, even if a passenger is not buckled up. And daytime running lights are not a requirement in the US. But most of the GM vehicles have had this for years, but not the other makes. Jim.

Michael Weber
09-12-2007, 4:30 PM
I agree, its really a no brainer.
I have worn seat belts since 1962 when as a 15 year old I purchased them for my dad's 58 chevy as a Christmas gift. I still remember they had a parachute on the buckle. Dad paid to have them installed by a garage and they drilled holes in the floor board behind the front seats. Wearing seat belts saved my life during a high speed head on collision in 1973 driving my wifes 1967 Mustang. Just lap belts back then but they did the job. To this day I do not remember a single thing leading up to and including the wreak itself. I do remember the pain afterward and on a positive note I am fully confident I will never hurt that badly again. Kickback and running my finger tip across my spinning jointer blade were a piece of cake compaired. WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS

John Schreiber
09-12-2007, 5:43 PM
I've worn a seatbelt since I learned to drive. If I didn't, this forum would have one fewer members. Did you know that a VW Microbus can actually fold up under the right (wrong) conditions.

glenn bradley
09-12-2007, 5:50 PM
So glad you're OK Chris. My dad taught me to drive and seat belts were mandatory. I used to make my friends wear them if they rode in my car back in high school and took some serious ribbing about it. One college friend who never wore seat belts for the usual excuses became a convert when a car he was riding in (not mine) was t-boned at only 35 MPH. Everyone else walked away and he, as the lone non-seat-belt-wearer, got a ride to the hospital. He still wears one faithfully 30-odd years later.

Glenn Clabo
09-12-2007, 5:54 PM
Many years ago...when I was one of those who thought that it was my "right" to not wear a seatbelt. Then one evening I got a call from my Mom about how close we were to losing my Dad. According to her...my Dad was traveling home on a New Mexico mountain side ( have you ever been to Los Alamos, NM?) and was hit from behind by a drunk. It pushed him over the side of the road...turned him over...and with a divine hand he was stopped by a scrub pine. He was found with his feet hanging outside the drivers side door from his seatbelt. Broken collerbone...unconsious...but alive. I have and have insisted on anyone who rides with me to wear a seatbelt since.

Bart Leetch
09-12-2007, 8:04 PM
As we are seeing from several posts wearing seat-belts isn't just to protect the person wearing them. The family members are protected from the grief of death or severe traumatic injury & a long recovery period if recovery is possible & things don't end in death anyway, or a continued drain & cost of taking care of a invalid. It also can make the response teams job much easier as well as making things possibly easier on other people that may have been a party to the accident.

Chris McDowell
09-12-2007, 11:26 PM
Thanks for all the best wishes guys. I've been real sore but I'm glad to be the other alternative isn't too good. Turns out the trooper that was at the scene has kids of his own and was extremely angry at the lady. She got five tickets issued and is due to appear before our version of the hanging judge in a few weeks.
As far as insurance goes mine has already taken care of me and will go after her later. So I went out and got a bright red GMC Sierra extended cab with daytime running lights. Maybe next time I'll be easier to see.
She picked a real bad time to do it too. I was within a few weeks of getting my slider but that is shot to pieces for a while. Like my wife said though, I can make and deliver cabinets without a slider but not without a truck. I'm not gonna complain about the slider though. It seems trivial when you face circumstances such as these.
Art--Everyone in Illinois is required to have at least liabilty insurance on their vehicles before they can get a new registration sticker. You are required to fill out a form and list the insurance provider and the policy number. Unfortunately some people get the insurance to get their sticker and then drop it afterwards. If you are caught without insurance the Secretary of State can pull you drivers' license for three months. Provided you are found guilty.
I'm not nearly as upset about the insurance as I am about the children not being secured properly. The three year old was in a car seat but it wasn't fastened to the vehicle's seat. By the time I got to the van she was wedged behing the driver's side seat screaming her poor little head off. We never even found a seat for the little one. It couldn't have been more than six or eight months old. Thankfully none of the children were hurt. The mother did have a broken arm but nothing more serious.
Don't mean to be so long winded but I need to talk about this a little and get it off my chest and out of my mind. What better place than here.

Chris

Karl Laustrup
09-13-2007, 7:03 AM
I'm curious, Are recent model cars sold in the United States required to have daytime running lights?

They are not required by law. GM is the only mfg. that has them as standard equipment on all their vehicles, that I know of. It started on GM vehicles over 10 years ago with just a few models, but now is all models.

As it is a law in Canada [running lights], it would seem the other mfg's. would just do it to all their vehicles. Especially with some of them being made in Canada.

They do make a difference in visibility.

Karl

Jim Becker
09-13-2007, 8:49 AM
PA now requires one to turn on their headlights if they need their wipers on if they don't have daytime running lights...but that doesn't help much on sunny days. I do find them helpful relative to visibility. My 2006 Highlander Hybrid Limited does have them; our 2002 Prius does not.

Chris, I'm glad you were able to get up and running with a vehicle so you can work, etc. Sorry about the delay in your new iron, but this too will pass. And don't feel bad about venting...it's best to get things out and I share your anger with that woman's disrespect for her children's safety and wellbeing. Hopefully the judge will make a "positive" impression on her...

Wes Bischel
09-13-2007, 9:41 AM
Chris, glad you got a new vehicle and are up and running - so to speak. Things like this really throw life a curve.

Wes

Tyler Howell
09-13-2007, 9:54 AM
25 years of ambulance work.
Never unbuckled a corps:(

Jim O'Dell
09-13-2007, 10:29 AM
(SNIP)...Don't mean to be so long winded but I need to talk about this a little and get it off my chest and out of my mind. What better place than here.

Chris

But Chris, that's what a woodworking family is for! Jim.

Glenn Clabo
09-13-2007, 10:36 AM
They are not required by law. GM is the only mfg. that has them as standard equipment on all their vehicles, that I know of. It started on GM vehicles over 10 years ago with just a few models, but now is all models.

As it is a law in Canada [running lights], it would seem the other mfg's. would just do it to all their vehicles. Especially with some of them being made in Canada.

They do make a difference in visibility.

Karl

FYI...Volvo has them as standard equipment...and you are right...we have an imported from Canada (came with DrLOML) Dodge Stratus that has them. Of course the speedometer is also in KM's and it drives the Dodge Dealer nuts! I gave up telling them that we really don't have 185,000 Miles on the little thing.

Gene O. Carpenter
09-13-2007, 2:55 PM
PA now requires one to turn on their headlights if they need their wipers on if they don't have daytime running lights...but that doesn't help much on sunny days.

Running wipers dry is going to wear wiper blades out like crazy not to mention ruining the windshield with those abraided streaks from the road grime caught between rubber blades and glass..Then you won't be able to see when the Sun is anywhere in front of you..
The best thing would be to turn your parking lites on! I've been doing that since I started driving back in 52- 53. Always turned headlights on my MC before I put the kick stand up..

Glad you weren't hurt

Jim Becker
09-13-2007, 3:58 PM
Running wipers dry is going to wear wiper blades out like crazy not to mention ruining the windshield with those abraided streaks from the road grime caught between rubber blades and glass..Then you won't be able to see when the Sun is anywhere in front of you..
The best thing would be to turn your parking lites on! I've been doing that since I started driving back in 52- 53. Always turned headlights on my MC before I put the kick stand up..

Gene, PA requires lights on when the wipers are wiping rain off the windshield, not when they are dry. Sorry, I was not clear enough. Parking lights are not sufficient.

Brian Robison
09-13-2007, 4:52 PM
What about the 3rd brake light in Canada? Seems like the last time I was in the great white north the vehicles there didn't have them. They can be a life saver also.

Glad your OK, I totaled a truck a few years back, wearing a seatbelt, not even a bruise. Wearing them since 1984.

Art Mulder
09-13-2007, 7:14 PM
What about the 3rd brake light in Canada? Seems like the last time I was in the great white north the vehicles there didn't have them. They can be a life saver also.

:confused: :confused: :confused:

Where were you, Brian? We've had third tail lights since the mid 80's. They only predate daytime running lights by a few years.

Jim Becker
09-13-2007, 7:17 PM
LOL...I have four lights in the back of my Highlander now...the three that came with the car and the little gagget in my hitch receiver...that I can now actually use. When the vehicle was repaired after the "sandwich" accident, they put the towing power outlet close enough to the receiver that the plug from the light will now reach without an extension cord. :)

Rafael Carias
09-16-2007, 2:13 PM
Chris


I am glad to hear things worked out for you and no one was seriously hurt. i had something similar happen to me about year ago.

I was doing finish carpentry and related woodwork for a residential construction outfit, the job required me to drive to job sites daily . one wednesday evening after work i was on my way to the freeway on the not so glamorous part of Pasadena California and needed to make a left turn and proceeded take position to wait for the green arrow when an older ford explorer came out of nowhere in the wrong direction directly towards me, i tried to avoid the accident but the only place to go was to the left but i could not avoid the hit without crashing on to opposite traffic, the explorer hit my truck very hard on the front passenger side. i was not hurt in any way as i was wearing my seat belt so i got off my truck right away and immediately looked at the front end of my truck. my truck was totaled and so was his explorer, i then went to look at him, he smelled like beer and was hurt in the face. he lost some teeth and was bang up in the nose and mouth area. Apparently he did not wear his seat belt and smacked his face on the dash. not even a minute had passed when the ambulance and police arrived.

After all was said and done the guy was sited for DUI, reckless driving and driving without insurance, all the meanwhile a was left without my truck.

Peter Stahl
09-16-2007, 3:50 PM
They say all accidents are avoidable but not when there are kamikazies like that out there. Like to see the police crack down on unbuckeled kids. Hope the kids are ok. Would also like to see stiffer fines on uninsured drivers. Glad you had your seat belt on. I work for a company that had started a seat belt campain back in the late 80's. These things work if you wear em.

Rafael Carias
09-16-2007, 4:47 PM
Seat belts do work and i demand that anybody riding with me wears it or my truck doesn't move.

my other truck did not have an airbag so my only line of defense was the seat belt, it did its job. i escaped injury and did not have any kind of soreness. the drunk driver could have at least avoided injury if he had just wore his seatbelt. as bad as i had it, it was even worst for the other driver being injured, uninsured and drunk in the road.

Ed Breen
09-18-2007, 3:32 PM
The last time I didn't wear a seatbelt was back in the 60's. I went through my preflite but must have been distracted :confused: :confused: and was just climbing out of the pattern in a little 172 when I heard and felt a bang-thump-bang-thump on the fuselage. Sure enough it was the buckle of the seatbelt outside the cabin rapping against the plane. Zipped back down to ground, redid the preflite fasteneed the seat belt and went about my business.
Ed:p