If it wasn’t the law would you wear a seat belt

[despairofbadscience]

Now I think the obvious answer to this is yes! However someone asked it a a party last night, and quite a few people so no or not on short journeys, maybe only in the front seat (type answers).

Really surprised me

I knew someone who wasn't wearing a seatbelt in the back of a car when it crashed, he lost his front teeth, the person sat in the front had life altering injuries caused by him hitting the back of his seat.

Yes, because I value my life and those of my children and passengers. And generally, I value other people’s lives too, from those who me not being belted could hurt or kill to the witnesses and emergency responders who have to come and sweep me off the road. They are carrying that with them for life.

Unfortunately though, the people in OP’s post would either be the bastards who survive without a scratch, or the ones who die on impact and don’t have to witness the devastation their selfish decision has had.

I would, but I wish they were designed for women!

Yes, this! There is a book about how pretty much everything we take for granted is designed for men.

I forgot the name of it. I have been waiting to get it out the library for about a year but people hang on to it.

The worst facial scarring I have ever seen was on a friend of a friend who went through a windscreen while taking a short taxi ride on a foreign holiday. There isn't an inch of her face that isn't deeply scarred. She didn't wear a seatbelt.

Then there's the whole issue of killing a fellow passenger with the force of your body being thrown within the car. You might be prepared to die but do you want to be responsible for killing your partner or child just because you didn't wear a seatbelt?

Yes. Was in a car crash in the 70s before back seat belts and headrests were compulsory - my friend’s mum’s car had neither. She went to sleep at the wheel and we crashed. I ended up being thrown right over the front passenger seat and came to jammed under the passenger dashboard in the footwell. My friend was thrown forward and cracked her mother’s skull. The mum didn’t have her belt on and ruptured her spleen (and had the cracked skull too).

I don’t know anyone in the age bracket 50 - 70 who doesn’t think they should be worn, I’m glad to say.

Absolutely I would, why the fuck wouldn’t you? Long before it was legal, I’m 60, my DF fitted seat belts He was a fire officer and had witnessed the aftermath of many fatal RTA’s

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado-Perez. A few years ago she linked to a RoSPA report on road traffic incidents. Most fatal or life-changing road traffic incidents are caused by males and far more males than females die in them. However, when a female is in a serious road traffic incident she is more likely to suffer death or life-changing injury than a male. Another thing I remember from it is that the most dangerous seat in a car is the front passenger seat.

I’m old enough to have not worn one before it was law and the cars I owned then were rarely fitted with them.

now I couldn’t though, it feels really weird!

These types of short hyper local journeys are about 5% of my time in the car. Stuff like picking up kids from after school club 500yds from home but I don't have time to walk from home before it shuts. I don't go above 15mph and would probably not put a seat belt on. The rest of the time I would.

People have to evaluate their own risk and attitude towards risk.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/mar/21/bike-helmet-cyclists-safe-urban-warfare-wheels

Yes I get that too....I was very happy that all UK cars and cabs had them as standard but often I don't (can't) wear one so hang on for dear life by the strap handle and hope for the best ! So far, so good....🤞

Depends on where I’m driving and the risk, but I do loathe seat belts as they hurt my breasts.

Yes I would on the roads. I don’t off-road going up and down the tracks (less than 5mph) as there is so many gates to get out to open all within metres of one another.
That said I hate the bloody beeping on the car once you go over 10mph and the car senses weight on the passenger seat but no done up seatbelt. Now drive everywhere with the passenger seatbelt done up so I can put my bloody bag on the seat in peace!

If you hit something stationary at 40mph they'll be scrapping your face off the windscreen. If someone hits you at 30 and you're doing the same speed with no seatbelt they won't bother. You really aren't understanding the forces at play at "low" speeds.

People are bizarre with the short journeys thing. That comes up all the time in threads about car seats, and ones about rear facing.

People seem to not realise that most car accidents happen close to home.

When I was a kid it wasn’t a massive deal, we wouldn’t put them on if we were using normal roads, like just to my nans house 5 mins away etc. but now I couldn’t imagine not wearing one especially the way some people drive. Thankfully DP is a very good driver, he’s not fantastic at most things but he is a very good driver, he’s avoided us being crashed into on many occasions. I swear I’m surprised how some people even get thier license.

As a driver it feels beyond strange to drive with no seatbelt.

My niece fell out a VW van while it was driving and I remember how bad her grazes were. She was extremely lucky not to have been injured worse. (This was back before child seats and child locks)

I remember the advert about mother being killed by son in the back seat because he wasn’t wearing a seat belt when the mother had to stop suddenly. And it puts me off not wearing seatbelts as a passenger.

However I almost never wear a seat belt in a coach and I don’t know why.

Yep because I don’t fancy bullseye on the windscreen

I just wish they were more comfortable for women. I'm constantly adjusting mine as it slides up over the boobs, even though I've pulled the thing down on the wall.

Cars are never tested for women I don't think.

oh come on. It takes 5 seconds max to put a seatbelt on

I would always wear one. Insist every passenger wears one.

Because I am not a halfwit.

Yep, still cba over such a short slow speed journey. Soz.

Yes and I always did before it became law. I know someone who was incredibly scared in a car accident when she went through the windscreen as no seat belt