Seat Belts - 2014 and people still done user them!

[Vipers]

boobles said:

Hugo are you suggesting that seatbelts on bikes would help just because you have them in cars?

Lets hope not, when the bike is tumbling and sliding down the road, you dont really want to be tied to it.

[boobles]

Vipers said:

Lets hope not, when the bike is tumbling and sliding down the road, you dont really want to be tied to it.

Try telling Hugo that.

[Hugo a Gogo]

boobles said:

Hugo are you suggesting that seatbelts on bikes would help just because you have them in cars?

no

there's a bit of hyperbole about seatbelts;

"nobody dies wearing a seatbelt"

"you will smash your head open every time anything happens without a belt"

which is to be expected

but mainly I was just pulling you up on your
"If you fall off a bike at 30 & assuming you hit nothing & nothing hits you, there is a good chance you will survive. If you hit something in a car at 30 (because you can't fall off a car) & you are not wearing a seatbelt, the chances are you could die."

Captain Obvious - if you hit something it's worse than if you don't

[boobles]

Hugo a Gogo said:

no

there's a bit of hyperbole about seatbelts;

"nobody dies wearing a seatbelt"

"you will smash your head open every time anything happens without a belt"

which is to be expected

but mainly I was just pulling you up on your
"If you fall off a bike at 30 & assuming you hit nothing & nothing hits you, there is a good chance you will survive. If you hit something in a car at 30 (because you can't fall off a car) & you are not wearing a seatbelt, the chances are you could die."

Captain Obvious - if you hit something it's worse than if you don't

Oh I see..... I was trying to word it in such a way for anyone who didn't really see the need for seatbelts.

[Pip1968]

I can see what Hugo a Gogo is saying even if many with myopia cannot. What I think he is saying is that riding a bike (motorcycle) is dangerous but legal. Driving a car without a seat belt is dangerous AND illegal but probably less dangerous than riding a bike.

For me it is about freedom of choice. Everyone knows the risks of driving without a seat belt. Will you die or suffer serious injury if not wearing a seat belt - NO. Your chances of these two options is increased but it is by no means a given.

Personally I enjoy risk and danger. Fortunately or not as the case may be, most do not and that is their choice. I have been in accidents and lived to tell the tale. Rear ended and 't' boned both low speed - 30mph ish and I do not recall any seat belt or injury/death. I have also been in two +60mph accidents both with and without seat belt.

On top of that I have been on a push bike at +20mph without a helmet and had a head on with a 'stupid' pedestrian.

Judge as you will. I may have been lucky, stupid, unlucky whatever.

If people choose not to wear a seat belt and kill themselves so what - ? Some die of cancer, some of diabetes, liver failure, heart attack but many also have the choice to prolong their lives or avoid the failure or collapse but do not - less pies/cakes/alcohol - not difficult is it? No harder than putting a seat belt on.

In reality what are the chances of you being in a car accident - slim and even slimmer if you are seeking a high impact one (unless you are me maybe :-) ).

Further safety devices in cars, er no thank you. I get peed off enough with the self locking doors as it is. I have never been car jacked and the chances of it happening are again slim so why lock the doors on me.

Those obsessed with safety would surely only be happy with a full cage, six point harness and helmet with HANS device, oh and fireproofs. Perhaps the crash tester could look at the percentage of risk with all these safety measures in place - ? So it all depends on your assessment of risk and what is or is not acceptable.

Finally my wife has said no to a motorbike although that may not be the end of it - no pun intended ie it could be.

Pip

[boobles]

But it is ILLEGAL not to wear a seat belt, you do understand that don't you?

If you choose not to wear one, so be it but lets hope you don't become just another statistic.
It isn't freedom of choice to wear one or not! It's not only the law but it's there to protect you & others. Do you refuse to wear one whilst in other peoples car? If so, that is just ignorance towards the other passengers. You have been incredibly lucky if all of these accidents you claim to have walked away from are true! Very lucky indeed.

Edited by boobles on Thursday 2nd October 13:47

[Hugo a Gogo]

I drove for years, all through the early 90s legally with no seatbelt and I could do so again today if i wanted to

[boobles]

Hugo a Gogo said:

I drove for years, all through the early 90s legally with no seatbelt and I could do so again today if i wanted to

Then do it.

[Pip1968]

boobles said:

But it is ILLEGAL not to wear a seat belt, you do understand that don't you?

If you choose not to wear one, so be it but lets hope you don't become just another statistic.
It isn't freedom of choice to wear one or not! It's not only the law but it's there to protect you & others. Do you refuse to wear one whilst in other peoples car? If so, that is just ignorance towards the other passengers. You have been incredibly lucky if all of these accidents you claim to have walked away from are true! Very lucky indeed.

Edited by boobles on Thursday 2nd October 13:47

In the motoring world we are all just statistics. Everyone has freedom of choice to break the law but you misunderstood my statement. I said it was about freedom of choice for me and the law impinges on my freedom to choose for myself. Just as despite lung cancer and all the other respiratory illnesses/complications people are free to choose whether they smoke or not.

I am not saying I never wear a seat belt but if I am popping around town I do not see the risk factor as being high. I go on track so clip in with a harness/three point but you have to ask yourself would you really want to survive a high speed crash with serious injuries or would it save everyone the trouble if you were simply dead. In town: Low speeds and stop start traffic - is an accident really going to kill you or seriously injure you - ???? If a four tonne lorry crashes into you a seat belt is not going to save you.

I do not completely disagree with the law you understand. I did see a 4/5 year old climbing all over the back seat of some 's brand new car in my rear view the other day. I thought about putting the anchors on and suggesting he should be strapped in but once at the T junction he turned left and I was in position for a right so off he went. I was disgusted with myself for sometime afterwards and even spoke to my wife who just said it would not have got me anywhere and it is not as if he would not have known.

Pip

[irocfan]

boobles said:

Hugo a Gogo said:

I drove for years, all through the early 90s legally with no seatbelt and I could do so again today if i wanted to

Then do it.

he could do if he's in an exempt class (eg cabbie to name but one)

[ALBA MELV]

Granted, the impact mainly affects the passenger side but I probably wouldn't have been able to open the driver door and walk away from this had I not been bucked in.

Driving without a belt on feels very unnatural for me.

[boobles]

ALBA MELV said:

Granted, the impact mainly affects the passenger side but I probably wouldn't have been able to open the driver door and walk away from this had I not been bucked in.

Driving without a belt on feels very unnatural for me.

Happy to see you are ok after that..... I genuinely do not see the resentment in wearing a seatbelt.

Do people feel "hard" because they are breaking the law? Is it a comfort issue? I really don't understand the attitude towards it.

[23rdian]

boobles said:

But it is ILLEGAL not to wear a seat belt, you do understand that don't you?

So is speeding but many wear that as a badge of pride. In fact I'd argue in the league of anti-socialness...

speeding > no belt.

[Hugo a Gogo]

irocfan said:

boobles said:

Hugo a Gogo said:

I drove for years, all through the early 90s legally with no seatbelt and I could do so again today if i wanted to

Then do it.

he could do if he's in an exempt class (eg cabbie to name but one)

or in a car with no seatbelts

[boxedin]

23rdian said:

Assuming around town at 30mph max...

Why is not wearing a belt any more dangerous than riding a motorbike?

Its what you hit which causes the problem.

In a car I'm not wearing:

a safety helmet, gloves, suitable clothing with protectors and boots.

All I have is the seat belt and the air bags ( and they can cause you damage too ), nothing to protect my feet and unlike a bike, I can't be thrown clear of the car.

Of all things I do, cycling and hiking have the potential for breaking bones the most due to the lack of protection in comparison to a car / motorcycle.

[boobles]

Hugo a Gogo said:

or in a car with no seatbelts

My old Landrover never had seat belts & It just didn't feel right.

[ALBA MELV]

boobles said:

Happy to see you are ok after that..... I genuinely do not see the resentment in wearing a seatbelt.

Do people feel "hard" because they are breaking the law? Is it a comfort issue? I really don't understand the attitude towards it.

Thanks Boobles


Noticed the other day that one of the guys that works for me doesn't bother with a seatbelt. For him, I'd guess, it's his problem with authority that is behind it combined with the fact that he's a goon!

[boobles]

ALBA MELV said:

Thanks Boobles


Noticed the other day that one of the guys that works for me doesn't bother with a seatbelt. For him, I'd guess, it's his problem with authority that is behind it combined with the fact that he's a goon!

I guess with some people, certainly the older generation they remember the "good old days" when cars didn't have seatbelts & they all lived without dying in some horific pile up. I get that but today is different with modern cars being much faster & traffic has increased so much in the last 20 years & there are so many distractions like mobile phones etc that some people feel the need to play with whilst driving. A seatbelt on the other hand is a simple device that takes 2 seconds to click in & out yet the attitude towards them is crazy considering what they are designed to do.