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

The guy I sat with at an accident was waiting to turn into a 20mph road and not moving at all
someone smashed into him at 60mph, flipped his car, took out a metal fence and left him with life changing injuries
that was with a seatbelt
it’s just not worth it for me, I can be as careful as I want driving but I have to presume everyone else is an idiot driver

Wasn’t it the case that the only person who survived the Princess Diana crash was the security man who put his seat belt on?

I hate the seatbelts in my car, they’re fixed height and really aren’t great for my height and general bustiness.

I won’t even turn the ignition on before I’ve fastened my belt though, and I won’t start the damn thing until all my passengers are belted up too. If it wasn’t a legal requirement, I’d still refuse to drive anybody who wouldn’t buckle up.

Obviously. Seen too many preventable catastrophic injuries.

I learned to drive in England in 1964, and, as I remember, cars had front seatbelts at that time, but wearing them was not compulsory.

So, I wore a seatbelt from the start, and always wear one now.

(Someone with more energy than I might want to look up the history of seatbelt laws in the UK)

I wrote my car off, and the only injury I had was bruising where the seat belt was. It definitely saved me from injury, if not death. I always did and still do.

I didn't as a child, actually, because we didn't have sestbelts on the back seats, and you wouldn't have got 4 or 5 kids across the seat (and more in the boot) if we'd had to wear seat belts. Ah, life in the '70s... (when more people died on the road.)

Ditto with my mum. She often sits behind me in the car and i remind her that she would literally smash my head in if we had a crash .

Why would you not?

Absolutely I still would.... especially after having seen on TV medical programs some horrific injuries and life changing/ending consequences as a result of people not wearing them and going through the car's front windscreen as a result of it. They're there for a reason!

Anyone who knows anything about road trauma stats would do so.

When I started driving Im sure we were meant to wear them but didn't everytime - but today it is absolutely instinctive and the first thing I do when I get into any vehicle.

However my cousin had a horrendous accident and was thrown about 30yds from a car and she wasnt wearing a seatbelt and the reports showed she probably would have died if she was wearing a belt due to the mess that the vehicle was in. Im still sure it safer to wear the belts!

Yeah, always. You’d have to be pretty ignorant to not do it.

@fireplaceember I was in a similar accident. 10 cars back at a red light. Watched a car come out about 800m back and proceed to drive into the back of my car at 60km/hr (so slower than your example and I only got a bad concussion). I was on a bridge, so couldn't go anywhere. Wrote off my car - busted the petrol tank, buckled the chassis. The police said it was my fantastic driving that meant only my car was ruined - I nudged the car in front of me but she didn't have panel damage, my car took it all.

So it's not your driving skills you need to worry about, it's the other incapable idiots on the road. Seat belts are a necessary safety device.

I'm sure you're right - and being chased at 127mph - even if they didn't know the details you can feel this from the interior of the car so why on earth wouldn't you wear the belts - madness.

I would.

I once had 4 passengers in my, admittedly small car and I refused to set off until they were all buckled in. One said, "but if you get stopped we will pay the fine" The answer was, "I don't give a fuck about a fine, I give a fuck about you flying in to the back of my head and killing me.

When I was a child (1970s) cars didn't usually have seatbelts in the back. A relative of my dad, his cousin I think, had a thing about not getting tangled in a seatbelt in a crash.

His wife would also have her child sit on her knee in the front.

One day they were driving along, I think it was a long drive, the child fell asleep so she put him on the back seat and the dog came to replace him.

The next thing she remembered was waking up in hospital to be told the dog going through the windscreen had saved her life. She has a scar on her forehead from the crash.

I would normally, but I'd probably be inclined to lie down in the back seat and nap, or fit more people in a car than there are seats, or stand up, sticking out of the sunroof and whooping at the sun on the odd occasion.

I'm not particularly risk averse and am prepared to take more risk for comfort or pleasure from time to time.

Anyone that chooses not to wear a seatbelt even in low speed in an idiot. I suggest they research what bodies look like after a crash. I had the horror of stumbling across “Porsche girl” picture years back, when the picture went viral, this was before the internet was as regulated as it was. Just a mangled body. If you think you’re too good to wear a seatbelt then expect to die when you’re driving.

I'm staggered at your cavalier attitude and the poor example you are to your DC. Do you allow them not to wear a seatbelt?

They drive 500yards to pick up their kids. I think lazy is definitely a theme here.

Everyone here says yes, but hardly anyone wears them on coaches, so I suspect the majority wouldn't actually bother. I'm really paranoid (and a bit autistic so have to follow rules! ), so do wear them on coaches

Well good for you, but the person crashing into you may not be going a slow speed and facial disfigurement is not a good look.

Of course I would but I can see how many people say they wouldn’t. I’m from a country where bike helmets are required by law and most people wouldn’t dream of cycling without one. Here in the UK where it’s not legally required at least half of cyclists don’t bother.

Saying that it’s also easy to get used to not wearing seatbelts when there is no culture of doing it. I would never consider travelling in the UK without a seatbelt but I’ve spent a lot of time travelling in countries that don’t have seatbelts in taxis and you just get used to it. I’m much more cautious about this sort of travel now I have a child and it’s not just myself I’m putting at risk on dodgy transport.

Do you inspect every person on a coach to see if they’re wearing a seatbelt? Rather general assumption.

Death isn’t a good look either

Interesting one, OP. I wonder if there's more compliance among those for whom it's always been compulsory, or if people rebel for other reasons? I'm in the former group and have never thought not to put one on. I can't see any downsides - never found them uncomfortable. I just do it on autopilot whenever I get in a car.

I have noticed a lot of influencers of all ages not wearing them as passengers on social media videos. I figured that was some weird status thing - "I'm above this - it doesn't apply to me" but still can't quite put my finger on it.