ALWAYS wear your seatbelt...

Good post Al - but couldn't resist (sorry )

That couldn't happen in an 8 - there's not that much room in the back !

Seatbelt saved my life...

I was in an accident back in '96. I was driving an suv and I was hit by a minivan in an intersection. The other driver's traffic light was not working properly and I had green while he had yellow.

We were both going only 35mph/56kph, which doesn't sound like much. With my seat belt on, my head and most of my torso went through the driver's door window and I was almost thrown from the car. I got lucky and walked away -- I blacked out briefly and had a concussion. The driver of the minivan was not wearing his seat belt and was rushed to the hospital by ambulance.

Don't get me wrong -- Ian's "what back seat?" joke is hilarious, but Al's point cannot be emphasized strongly enough. I cannot believe there are people who still don't wear their seat belt when they travel in a car.

People die all the time in car accidents where they wouldn't even have been injured had they been wearing a seat belt.

I was involved in an accident in my last 8 (a '92) less than a year ago. It is the car in my avatar. The "after" picture is in my gallery. The other driver was completely at fault and it was determined to be unavoidable from my perspective.

My seatbelt caused some soreness and bruizing, I had lung trauma (lungs fill with flem, kinda like having a cold), my head was fuzzy for a week or two, and I had airbag burns, but I refused treatment at the hospital and boarded a plane 2 days later to check out a new job that I currently work at. The other cars occupants weren't so fortunate, 2 of the 3 died as a result of the drivers crazed driving, (nearly 100 mph in a 40 zone, then did a 270 degree turn, tires squealing in a new turbo Neon that wasn't his, drinking also, drugs found in car).

I used to know a fatoid about children in crashes. A 30 lb infant in a 30 mph accident (30-0) gains the force of 3000 lbs or 3 tons, (can't remember now which it is). Safe it to say, neither my mothers arm whipping out at my chest nor the windshield would have done anything at all to alter my trajectory.

Can you bench press 4000 lbs? How about 6000 lbs? Your seatbelt can.

Notice the glass is intact. I hit the Neon doing about 40 mph. The engine was killed by the airbag system as it is supposed to. I turned off the ignition, (key was broken off but enough was sticking out to turn it) unbuckled the seat belt and opened the door (which opened easilly) and got out.

Trunk damage is from police prying it open later at the yard while doing their investigation.

I had been looking at 928 S4's before buying this car but my dad had been in a horrible accident a year before that and had said I should get myself a car with airbags. The 928's only have an airbag after 1990 or 91 and the ones I was finding that were nice always seemed to be '89's or older.

My fathers crash was much worse, 70 mph head on. He had a broken foot, cracked ribs, and a damaged artery feeding his heart. He was unconsious for 45 minutes after the accident. His chest looked like he had been spray painted black going at an angle (from seatbelt). The 2 occupants of the other car were not wearing seatbelts and did not have airbags (Grand Am) and both did not survive.

Booze, no seatbelts and no airbags seem to be real bad ideas. I however don't think seatbelts should be mandatory as I know the government doesn't have the right to protect us from ourselves, but I do think we should eliminate lawsuits by occupants or thier famalies when they are horribly injured or die as a result of not using them.

I will wear a seatbelt...

My father was involved in a crash this year, he drove a toyota corolla -89 mod and he was not wearing seatbelts..He was lucky though cause his car was waiting to turn up to the left and BANG from nowhere a car came in 50kph head to head! My father hold the steering wheel and his body got all the powers and he jumped up and smashed the front window with his forehead! 25 (stinch) dont know what its called on english), and 3 weeks with rest he was in a ok form! So wear a seatbelt, if he had weared a seatbelt he wouldnt get hes forehead smashed!

Best regards to you Al...

Guys

I've investigated RTA's on company leases. Mainly desert locations. The difference between cuts and bruises cf fatalities and serious injuries is the wearing of a seatbelt. I've seen this so many times especially in incidents involving roll overs.

PhilC

I might sound critical but anyone not wearing seat belts and gets hurt deserves the consequences.

Most countries now have a law that requires the occupants to wear seat belts not for law sake, but for safety sake. It has been proven so many times that belt save lives that it is just dumb not to wear them.

Real dumb.

Theo