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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder who doesn't wear a seat belt and why!

180 replies

FunkyKingston · 02/05/2019 00:01

metro.co.uk/2019/04/30/seat-belt-laws-become-lot-tougher-9357163/

It seems ludicrous to me that not wearing a seat belt doesn't carry at least a three points or even six points when not doing so selfishly and recklesly endangers the lives of others. Thankfully i don't knlw anyone in real life who'd ve as daft to not use the seatbelts fitted.

However, even if they don't give a shit about other people what kind of idiot isn't interested in saving their own skin in the event of a crash, when the effectiveness of seat belts in preventing death and serious injury is beyond doubt?

Does anyone here not use seatbelts or know anyone who is militantly anti seatbelt and what rationale do they use?

OP posts:
Flatwhite101 · 02/05/2019 12:19

I'm not sure if driving without seems to be creeping up, as I think the chances of actually getting seen and pulled by the police are fairly small. Observationally it seems to be more men, older generation, and Eastern European cars. Is usually a good clue to be even more wary of them as if they have that little understanding and regard for safety for themselves, they're going to have even less for yours. The taxi exemption thing seems a bit spurious to me to be honest. I can't really imagine theft from taxi drivers increasing if they were made to wear seatbelts. I guess it stems from them being in the car a lot, and the assumption they are getting in and out a lot, and even those seem like weak arguments really.

RottnestFerry · 02/05/2019 12:40

You aren't meant to carry any type of knife including a pen knife

UK knife law allows you to carry non-locking pocket knives with a blade length up to 3 inches without any need for a valid reason.

Provincialbelle · 02/05/2019 12:42

As I recall, seatbelts becoming compulsory was at least partly the work of Bob McNamara, who should therefore be credited with saving many thousands of lives. Same Bob M who was a senior advisor in the Vietnam War, and thus should be credited with ending many lives. I wonder if admission to the afterlife is determined on a utilitarian calculation ...

IntoValhalla · 02/05/2019 12:46

BertieBotts I’ve heard that before about safety features like seatbelts etc being designed around the average sized man. My friend was quite a petite little thing, and only 17 at the time - definitely a lot smaller than “Mr Average”

MidniteScribbler · 02/05/2019 12:52

Does anyone here not use seatbelts or know anyone who is militantly anti seatbelt and what rationale do they use?

I don't usually wear one. But I live on a very small island where the maximum speed limit is the equivalent of 20 miles per hour and seatbelts are not required by law. When I go to the mainland, I always wear one. Aside from anything, it's the law, so why should I bother arguing? Just wear it.

Newadventure · 02/05/2019 12:56

I did know people didnt wear them anymore!
Id be too scared to drive without mine on, it'd feel weird. new driver

PissOffPeppa · 02/05/2019 13:01

I’m always a bit paranoid that my head will get sliced off in some cars

I feel like this. I’m not sure if it’s possible but it is something that worries me. I’m very busty, so belts never sit across my chest and instead ride up so they’re underneath my throat.

Obviously I still wear them- and it was helpful when I crashed once (at 15mph- the bruise I got from my seatbelt proved I would have been thrown forward with some force had I not been wearing one)- but there’s always this niggling worry I’ll end up decapitated.

sighrollseyes · 02/05/2019 13:08

I had some major chest surgery last year and some abdominal surgery this year. Both times they said I wasn't allowed to drive but could be exempt from wearing a seatbelt as a passenger. I was like "erm no thanks I'll just put a pillow in between me and the seatbelt thanks".

Lookingforadvice123 · 02/05/2019 13:10

Sadly DH's cousin died in a car crash due to not wearing a seat belt. She was in her early 20's and left behind a very young child. I'll never understand why people don't, but clearly some don't.

yetwig · 02/05/2019 13:20

I'm a professional driver, public transport (buses) no seatbelts on these but always wear one in my car ☺️

BertieBotts · 02/05/2019 13:26

It's better to have the seatbelt over your boobs than tucked under I think. It should cross your shoulder at your collarbone. If in a car you travel in regularly check if the seatbelt can be adjusted where it comes from the car side or roof.

If it can't or it doesn't come low enough, this kind of product might work well. www.halfords.com/kids-zone/car-seat-travel-accessories/child-safety/carpoint-seat-belt-clips-x2

Do note they are totally inappropriate for use with children despite being sold in a child safety section Confused and you should never use any kind of seatbelt adjuster which pulls the lap belt up across your abdomen.

If you are shorter than 150cm/5 foot a seatbelt might fit you incorrectly, you can also get a sort of "adult booster seat" which should help, this sort of thing: www.halfords.com/motoring/car-accessories/car-seat-covers-cushions/halfords-comfort-cushion

GooodMythicalMorning · 02/05/2019 13:31

When you've seen someone die deom not wearing one (Going through the front of the windscreen) you always wear one. trust me. Anyone who doesn't is risking their own life and everyone else's.

PissOffPeppa · 02/05/2019 13:34

Bertie That’s really helpful. Thanks!

RacheyCat · 02/05/2019 13:44

We live overseas where people drive like selfish lunatics and are very resistant to seat belts. Most taxis only have one available for passengers in the front seat but not the back and it makes me so uneasy. Car accidents and resultant fatalities are so high here and it baffles me that anyone would want to place themselves in any more danger than they have to.

Although I'm a woman, I'm the height of the average man and quite flat chested, so belts work fine for me. It's totally unacceptable that they're not adequate for so many women.

CamillafromCobham · 02/05/2019 13:45

I rarely do when in the back of a car. It’s habit from when I was a kid and it wasn’t the norm. Most cars didn’t even have seatbelts in the back when I was growing up. And yet I would never sit up front without one. I’ve started wearing one in the back occasionally now when my 5 year old points it out 😳

YouBelongHere · 02/05/2019 14:14

I had a minor car accident a couple of years ago that was only minor and not serious because we were wearing seat belts. I had my thumb tucked into the seat belt as I looked at my phone (in the back seat, not driving!) when we crashed. My thumb hurt for MONTHS afterwards, my chest hurt from the impact at first and I had a nice sized bruise on my boob for a while but much better than the alternative. My friend in the front said the impact would've send her through the windscreen had she not been wearing a belt.

I've always been quite funny about car safety though, if my Mom glances at her phone I yell at her and I get stressed if she's trying to do something like take the lid off a bottle to have a drink on a long car journey - I take it off her and do it myself.

Kokeshi123 · 02/05/2019 14:20

People tend to be pretty awful about this in Japan. I was shocked the first time my husband's relatives came to get us in a car and neither of them was strapped in. I said I was not getting in the car unless they buckled up and was made to feel that I was being rude and casting aspersions on their driving safety. So ridiculous.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 02/05/2019 14:41

How judgemental and ignorant you are, OP.

I don't wear one. I have a certificate that says I needn't - indefinite. I choose to wear one if I have other people in the car with me - for their sakes, not mine. I never wear it when I'm on my own, I have a seatbelt clip.

Backwoodsgirl · 02/05/2019 14:52

Did you know US airbags are bigger than European ones because they are designed to work even if the driver is not wearing a seatbelt? European ones are smaller, but if you're not wearing a seatbelt, you probably won't be in the correct position for the airbag to work.

Makes sense because some states like New Hampshire there is no law for seatbelts, some states have no MOT or insurance requirements either

Original poster
FunkyKingston · 02/05/2019 14:55

How judgemental and ignorant you are, OP.

I don't think so. I asked a question why, despite unarguable scientific evidence supporting their use alonf with decades of campaigning people chose not to wear them.

OP posts:
LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 02/05/2019 15:05

Oh yes. Not at all goady. Inviting other ignorant comments to ally with your own.

Not your business. Your personal safety is your business, other people's is not.

Prequelle · 02/05/2019 15:18

Lying it's not just personal safety though is it. It puts others at risk and not just the ones in the car. I get you have a medical exemption but you must understand that's very rare and the vast majority of people who don't wear them are doing so for no good reason?

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 02/05/2019 15:25

Prequelle, to be honest, your earlier post irritated me a bit. We all don't want to see 'people being scraped up off the floor'. That happens when they die. They can't get up. That happens when there are accidents or even when there aren't.

I take care of my passengers, at a personal detriment and that's what I've always done. Other people may not do that, granted, but nobody has to get in the car with them, do they?

So yes, it is just personal safety that is at issue. There are lots of things I don't want to see but often have to because, other people's choices/circumstances. Seatbelt wearing is the law, the police have authority to enforce it. What's the point of frothing about it (not aimed at you personally) on a thread?

MyFamilyAndOtherAnimals1 · 02/05/2019 15:30

A couple of years ago, if I had to drive 2 mins up the road to the local shop (eg for fuel or to post loads of parcels) I wouldn't bother to put mine on.

However, my new car has one of those alarms that beeps if you've not got your seatbelt on.

It is, categorically, the MOST ANNOying thing ever.

It gets louder and louder and more and more insistent.

Now I always wear my seatbelt. Grin

Prequelle · 02/05/2019 15:31

lying it happens at a higher rate when people do not wear their seatbelts. People not wearing seatbelts risk themselves becoming a flying projectile that can land in the road, causing cars to have to avoid, potentially landing on windshields etc. So I don't agree that it's just a personal safety issue.

There's a lot of things not 'worth frothing about' on MN but I don't think this should be included in that category. It's understandable that you're upset because you can't wear a seatbelt, you can't lower your risk to others, but I don't think it's fair to try to shut down discussion and insinuate OP is trying to cause a dog pile when it's a discussion about human behaviour and the wider safety implications. Also I'm genuinely sorry to have upset you, but I find it upsetting that my friends have seen things that could have been avoided with a seatbelt.

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