Ever been harrassed for not having a seat belt??

Only reason Bikers don't like helmets is cause they look stupid!! Hands down, only reason.
Seatbelts and helmets aren't going to save you if your hit by a locomotive, but wehn some makes a left in front of you at 15MPH your're not going to have to use the windshield to stop you handsome face!!lol
Think of it as if your stand in a room & someone gets a dashboard, steering wheel & windshield , swings it at say 20 mph & hits you in the face with it!!
If you don't want to wear seat belts fine.Bt don't use the constitution as a excuss!!
You look like a young guy, Are you in the service?If not & you feel that strongly about your constitutional rights ,sign up!! If you are in the service , I salute you for your bravery.
I have them in my T & when i go to a show or cruise & put them under my seat.
the way i figure about helmets & seat belt" if they save your life once there worth it"
jimV

 

No.

I have been pulled over twice by the same cop for no trailer lights. My mistake.

Wearing seat belts is like wearing underwear. It might chafe at first but you'll soon feel naked without it.

 

Getting run over by a 18 wheeler coming the other way can also kill ya.
Its not a "persons choice" its the law!! is it a persons choice to pass a school bus, do 90 MPH on a side street? Theres gotta be laws out there, that"question attourity" shit from the 60's only holds true to a point.
I think this the First time someone used the phrase" Nanices" on the HAMB!! How cool is that!!l
JimV

 

Best reply yet!

 

My $0.02,as far as bikes go cause other people brought it up and i expect to get bashed for saying this but oh well,if i get in a wreck on my bike chances are i dont want to survive to depend on other people for everything the rest of my life and make them suffer with me in different ways,its my gamble and my choice and everybody that knows me including family respect my point of view and understand it,as far as cars go theres a greater chance of surviving a wreck,specially in older cars cause they are so strong and are made with metal not plastic,i wear belts in my new rides but i dont have any in my old ones,i guess you can call it false sense of security or stupid,should i have some in my old rides?yes,will i put them in?maybe not,its my choice and life,ironcally i feel saver in my old rides without belts than in my new ones with them.
Jamie of Dead City MC/CC

 

Another good statistics comparison, I was reading on the NHSTA out of X-amt of fatal automobile accidents(where it could be determined if the dead was or was not wearing a belt) 54% of the dead wore a belt and 46% of the dead did not. Its a crap shoot, I only wear a belt or harness when I feel the need, not often.

 

Thanks for posting the data. I always hate hearing someone say: "This happened to me, therefore, my experience applies to everyone, everywhere, at all times."

No one's that important.

 

I don't care if you use/have seatbelts. I am completely pro-choice on this one. Personally I choose to wear seat belts and offer them to my passengers.

However if I get into an accident and hit a classic car I would rather the "other guy" not be wearing a seatbelt so that I can bug his widow for the parts off his car.

 

Can't drive the car unless you are behind the wheel. For those that don't wear them and get knocked out of position, cross the road and hit someone else...stand up and take responsibility for what you just did. Sell a few organs to pay for the crash.

 

This is the crux of it, isn't it? Nobody wants to take responsibility for their own actions anymore. That's how "no-fault" insurance was invented. That's how your rights & liberty are taken from you - if you insist on someone wiping your ass for you, you don't get to choose the toilet paper. Welcome to the nanny-state of socialism.

Choice.

 

It is foolish in this day and time to build a car without seatbelts and even more foolish not to wear them. You need to be in control of the vehicle if there is an opportunity to drive out of a problem. Without a seat belt you will be slung all over the front seat during fast hard manuevers and have no control steering or accelerator or brakes or clutch.
A simple lap belt will keep you where you belong, behind the wheel and feet at the controls. That gives you a chance, and that's more than alot of folks get.
I wouldn't want to be the guy who survives and has to go home and explain to his wife about how it was their children are all maimed or dead, would you?
Here in Texas the same rules apply about factory installations BUT if the car has seatbelts in it, factory or not, and you're not wearing them, you have violated the law.

 

Actually my 67 Galaxie has the lap belts in it and I had a question last week while taking a big turn at like 50 or so I was really pushed to the right side of the car is had bench seats and just a lap belt.

So I am going to put shoulder belts in my car because I know I will get hurt in an accident if I get in one. But I hate ford Shoulder belts in all the newer fords I have ever been in the inertia reel does not work that well and they are not sensitive to braking. I had a 98 corola if i hit a turn to fast or got on the brakes a little to much or on the gas to stomp on it the thing locked up on my it was great but it is to small to use in my galaxie and I did not like the design of it just wondering if you guys have any suggestions or is there a way to make the ford style belts more sensitive.

 

Not having a seat belt in this car did not hurt anywhere near as bad as seeing the damage! A seatbelt cannot save PRIDE!

 

Don't run into me, my parts are not worth it!

 

im just kinda tired of the whole "this law is here to protect you" i used to wear my belts all the time until they made it a law and started ticketing people for it .....it should be my choice weather or not i want to be safe in a crash...people stop worrying about me its not appriciated stop passing laws to protect me every year new laws are created to make some thing against the law....and none of the old laws are dropped soon everything will be against the law and we will have no freedoms

 

How many would have lived if they HAD been wearing a seat belt? That's more relevant than percentage that died while wearing the belt or not.

How many, that went through the windshield and lived, were wearing their belt?

How many who's face looks like a Picasso painting after going through said windshield were wearing their belt?

If you're dead, it doesn't matter to you. But when you make people barf at the sight of you, or cross the street and cover their kid's eyes when you approach, you may wish you had one on when you were being "cool".

A belt isn't a magic wand, but it beats not wearing one when it comes to survival. I guess you he-men also weld without eye protection, smoke at the gas pumps, and tell your wife/girlfriend that she looks fat in that dress....

I hope all you super men have plenty of insurance, so society doesn't have to pay for your bravado. But I'm betting that's something else you find restrictive...

Mutt

 

I was cruising along in my '67 Impala thirty years ago with no seat belts on thinking I'm real cool, and I got T-boned by a lady in a Toyota going 45 mph. I see her car flying right at my door for a split second, and then CRASH!!! One second I'm gripping my steering wheel firmly and my foot's on the gas pedal, and a split second later I'm now slammed against the passenger door with my hands still in the correct 10 o'clock/2 o'clock position holding air. My car had spun around 180 degrees. I had a cracked rib and some cuts from flying glass, but otherwise okay. It really made me realize that you just get tossed around like a ragdoll when your car gets hit.

Besides the obvious protection from getting tossed through the windshield or splattered all over your dashboard, or flung out through the side window in a rollover, I think another great reason to wear a seatbelt is to keep you located behind the wheel and in front of the brake pedal so that if you're still moving after any kind of contact with another car, that you'll be in a position to steer and brake to keep your car under control so you don't find yourself sitting suddenly over on the passenger seat while your car is aiming straight into oncoming traffic or off a cliff or something.

I used to ride motorcycles a lot, and back then I thought it sucked to be forced to wear a helmet. That was until I saw three fatal motorcycle crashes. Then I started wearing one most of the time. One day a car in front of me kicked up a 3/8" bolt off the road and it hit me right between the eyes and made a bolt shaped dent in my face shield. I'm sure glad I had it on that day. The one thing I didn't like about wearing a helmet is that it gives you a false sense of security and you don't drive as carefully. When you ride without a helmet, you hear your tires breaking traction on loose gravel in the road, you feel the wind blasting in your face, and you really know you're moving fast. But man, with the idiots on the road today, I wouldn't want to ride a bike without a helmet or ride a car without seatbelts -- and shoulder belts too if it's got 'em. I don't feel right driving without 'em. Yeah it sucks having the government tell you what to do, but it's so easy to buckle up, it's not like it's a huge sacrifice in personal freedom. I have kids that are just starting to drive and I'm glad they have the seatbelt law here so there's no debate about whether to wear them or not.

 

If you're worried about losing the wheel/pedals then you need to winch yourself in with at least a 4 point harness with hip pads and lumbar. If you have a lapbelt or a stock type 3 point harness and you get hit, or even maneuver hard, you're still going to get bounced around. If a 3 point harness was going to hold you in place they wouldn't have airbags in cars.

 

I just know when my friend totalled his 64 pickup on the freeway the other day, he was pretty glad he'd installed shoulder belts. Truck was a mess. He was fine.

 

I don't think the relevant argument is whether or not seat belts & helmets protect you.

The relevant argument is letting someone else decide for you. We continually sacrifice liberty & freedom on the altar of safety. This insanely stupid mentality of, "if it saves one life, it's worth it" is pure & utter crap. Our gov't does not have a right or requirement to protect the stupid from themselves.

The insurance lobby are the ones pushing this because it affects their bottom lines - they & the gov't do NOT have your best interests or safety in mind, rather, they're concerned about the almighty dollar. So you've willingly given up a freedom to appease an industry that was spawned because people don't want to be accountable for their own actions & have someone else pay up for them.

It's a viscious cycle fueled by greed - not freedom. I'm painfully reminded of a quote by one of our British brethren:

 

I was never harrassed for no seatbelts but I got picked up by the fuzz when I didn't have any pants on in public...

Hurt like hell...



JOE

 

I think I am going to put in shoulder belts. I have a set with nice buckets, mounts, and latches from a 69' Dart hardtop I parted out. Anyone know where I could get them re-webbed?

Like I said before, I don't trust 35 year old nylon webbing.

 

Flat Earnie, you have hit the nail flat square on the head! I was going to write pretty much the same thing, but you beat me to it!

 

I hear what you guys are saying, but I can think of about a hundred other laws that intrude on freedom a lot more than a seat belt law. Laws like city codes making it a crime to leave a non-running "ugly old junker" vehicle in your driveway, or laws limiting the number of vehicles you can have in your driveway, or laws making it illegal to work on cars in your driveway, or laws telling you you have to get smog checks on your cars, or laws that allow big companies to get "smog credits" for crushing old cars, or laws that make it difficult to register an old car, or laws that force the oil companies to put toxic additives in the fuel that make your car gutless and contaminate the whole state's water supply, or laws that outlaw certain types of paint every few years, or laws that put a huge sales tax on fuel that's supposed to be used for fixing the roads but goes for other things instead, or blah blah blah.

Yeah, I cringe every time they come out with a new law, but I think the seatbelt law is one of the few laws that make some sense. If you're just by yourself minding your business, and don't feel like wearing a seatbelt, then that is taking away a little of your freedom. But when you think of a family driving along with five kids in the minivan and nobody has their seat-belts on because the parents just don't give a damn, then the law starts to make a lot more sense -- putting the innocent children and passengers safety ahead of the driver's personal freedom.

So I'm with you that there are too many laws, but I can't get too upset about having to wear a seatbelt.

A long time before they had seatbelt laws in this state, I was driving through the desert in a Navajo Indian reservation in Arizona and they had signs along the highway saying "Buckle Up -- It's Navajo Nation Law". It made sense and I didn't feel like I'd lost my freedom flying along at 70mph out in the desert. I guess they got tired of cleaning up the dead people off the side of the highway when people fell asleep at the wheel and rolled their cars off the highway.

 

The "clunker" laws don't infringe on individual freedom nearly as much as a seat belt law - that's the problem - the psychological "feel-good" safety aspects makes it all OK with everyone. If cities want to pass laws the keep property values up, that's fine. It costs more for our hobby, but it doesn't infringe upon your liberty - you should have done more research before you bought where you bought. If they introduce a bill you dislike, fight it. Do something. Vote. Don't just whine about it. I don't see how EPA laws aimed at big corporations affect your freedom. It may limit your choice, but it doesn't eliminate it. Freedom & liberty are about choice.

This is exactly the mentality that allows them to steal our freedom - the "think of the kids" doesn't wash with me. It comes full circle to accountability for your actions pure & simple. I stood up on the front seat of a steel-dashed car when I was a youngster - like many here - that doesn't make it right necessarily, but if something happened to me who do you think my parents would blame? Government for not having a law? Nope. Themselves. Accountability for your actions. If you are unable or unwilling to take responsibility for the consequences of your actions, don't do them. There is risk in everything we do - back then, it was considered an acceptable risk by most parents. Risk is not constant - it varies - and the ability to assess risk, then choose to accept it or not must lie with the individual, not the government - or you're not really free.

Still comes down to accountability - charge people for accident cleanup & they'll quit driving like idiots. If they die, charge their families. Not wanting to do the civil-service job you signed up for isn't an excuse to take my liberty. If you want to give me a deterrent, charge me.

I strongly suggest you read the constitution. I read it about twice a year.

The sad reality is we will destroy ourselves. Democracies have distinct phases they work through - we're on the decline unfortunately - the last throes of a great empire (but nobody thinks it can happen here).

Wake up, America.

 

I agree that forcing people to wear belts is going too far. Nobody should have to be forced though.......

Anyways, what are my options if any for shoulder belts if I don't want to gut half my interior to weld in a mounting points on my B pillars?

 

I'm pro-seatbelt. I put my head through a VW bug windshield in highschool. We were checking out the surf conditions and not the traffic ahead. Blam, smash, ouch! No real damage to me (although I used to look a lot more like Brad Pitt) but I have worn a seatbelt ever since.

 

Holy crap!

I should have read all the way to the end before posting.

Taking away your freedom? Give me a fucking break! I don't like the world padded for my protection either, but the main reason for the seatbelt law is not to protect you, but to save tax money. When you die in a wreck, the amount of city worker (cops, fire, tow truck, cleanup) time necessary to deal with the situation goes through the roof; vehicle cleanup, body cleanup, crash fault anaysis etc. Plus, lots of people don't have medical insurance - it's not fair for me to have to pay someone elses excessive medical bills who chose "freedom" over common sense.

Back to talking about cars, fixing cars and driving cars!

 

I'm not going to get into any debate, but I agree with you on some points. I value my personal liberty highly. I remember standing up on the back floorboards of our '55 DeSoto as my dad or mom drove back in the day. I never put a car seat in my '69 Mach I (would've looked uncool) and let my daughter play on the fold down rear seat. Neither of these instances were necessarily anyone's fault, but in '55 or '73, we didn't think as much about the dangers. Now we all know better. The government actually gave us a wakeup call by passing laws protecting children. I HATE seat belt and helmet laws with a passion. But I'll use both because I'm aware of the possible consequences to my head or body if I don't.

Do I want the government intruding into my life even more..NO! No one over the age of 18 should be FORCED to be protected. But I want to remain here to fight for liberties that I consider more important.

Jan

 

I just finished reading the US Constitution and nowhere does it say I have the right to drive without my seatbelt on.

In life I am a staunch believer in personal liberty but I see the seatbelt law as protecting me from paying for your medical bills after your dumb ass flys thru your windshield and ends up in a coma. Your liberty ends when it costs me money.

I also noticed that most of the folks here advocating "seatbelt freedom" have the communication skills of a rhesus monkey.