lew Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) I saw alot of nasty stuff over the years but one that always stuck with me was probably 40 years ago and involved a little Volkswagon Beetle and a big ole '67 Pontiac. There were 3 ladies in the Bug with nobody wearing a seat belt and the Pontiac crossed the road (Toronto street) and hit them head-on. The Pontiac probably weighed 3 times as much as the bug and when he hit them he just drove them straight back. The lady in the back seat shot forward between the bucket seats and drove the 2 ladies in front under the dash board, including the driver who was bent around the steering column. The rear seat passenger continued flying thru the windshield, then landed on the roof of the Pontiac, then bounced off the roof and hit the road face first behind the car. It took a long time for us to dismantle the Bug enough to get the women out and when we finally removed the driver her left foot remained in the car where it had been severed by the clutch pedal. All 3 were alive when the ambulances took them away but were all terribly injured. We seldom followed up on things after the fact and I don't know if they survived or not. I don't know what the outcome would have been had the ladies been wearing seatbelts, but I think it would have kept the lady in the back seat and she wouldn't have flown into the front and did so much damage to the others and herself. This is just one story out of many but in my mind anyone who doesn't wear a belt is just plain foolish...but that's just my opinion. Edited October 25, 2011 by lew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smally21 Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 and that is the message that first responders and law enforcement personnel should be sending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harrison Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 My Dad was a firefighter. There were two things he was guaranteed to blow a gasket about, leaving something on the stairs and not wearing seat belts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cram Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) To you firefighters and policemen.....seat belts aside, is side impact the biggest danger in accidents (where people are least protected and/or get hurt the most)? Should i care more about side impact or roof/pillar strength when looking at a new car? Edited October 25, 2011 by cram Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smally21 Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 well, unless ya plan on being upside down..... but serioiusly the front of your car is a 6foot crumple zone, the side is a 6 inch crumple zone. the common serioius injury in the side impact is the crushing of the pelvis and hips, but more importantly, the impact of the head striking the window or door pillars. side impact 'curtain' air bags can reduce or eliminate that injury. side impact beams yada yada a big help but its hard to engineer something 6 inches thick to withstand that kind of collision. sounds kinda silly but this is the type of accident you most want to avoid... rood pillar strength is vital to the rest of the car, cut the roof off a car you can practically fold it in half - but i think you are more likely to be in a broadside collision than end up upside down. rollovers dont really result in the serious injuries side impacts do... my 2 cents ralph nader might disagree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishing n autograph Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 A motor vehicle collision has so many variables that it is hard to answer that question. Size, vehicle speed, road conditions, road design,, design of the car etc etc can affect it. I've seen a few mvcs where a driver survived because the point of impact was an inch to the right of the b pillar, had it been the other way he would have been dead. You can't prevent collisions because 2 cars or more are involved. Your best bet would be to buy a car you feel comfortable driving and what you feel safe driving. Vehicles nowadays are safe as long as you operate it safe and according to road conditions. Not sure if that answers any questions and im sure other members can add to the discussion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cram Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 A motor vehicle collision has so many variables that it is hard to answer that question. Size, vehicle speed, road conditions, road design,, design of the car etc etc can affect it. I've seen a few mvcs where a driver survived because the point of impact was an inch to the right of the b pillar, had it been the other way he would have been dead. You can't prevent collisions because 2 cars or more are involved. Your best bet would be to buy a car you feel comfortable driving and what you feel safe driving. Vehicles nowadays are safe as long as you operate it safe and according to road conditions. Not sure if that answers any questions and im sure other members can add to the discussion. Thanks. You can get the new, tougher NHTSA safety/crash test results at safercar.gov....a lot of cars i had considered really safe (ie. subaru foresters) don't do that well in the side tests. Surprising, actually. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 One of the easiest ways for auto manufacturers to reduce the need for side impact protection in cars is for them to eliminate the possibility of internet connection/reception for occupants of the front seats in cars while the engine is running. But that'll never fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Personally, i will take advantage of anything that has any possibility of saving my life when i am in a vehicule.Whether it be a seat belt in a car, or the tether and life jacket in my boat.Why would any sane person not want to do the same Argue any side you want, but seatbelts save more lives than they take. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 yeah Just for the record I didn't say wearing seat belts is bad nor did I say people die because of wearing seat belts what I really said was those type of movies are stupid and only convince the already converted and 6 year old kids..and they forget 2 weeks later Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 One of the easiest ways for auto manufacturers to reduce the need for side impact protection in cars is for them to eliminate the possibility of internet connection/reception for occupants of the front seats in cars while the engine is running. But that'll never fly. Roy, Barb just bought a 2012 Jeep Compass Limited.she can not use the DVD function, or make changes to the onboard navigation without the car being in park. Also the blutooth phone will only work in voice command mode while the car is in gear, meaning it will not connect manually while the car is in gear. This is a great step in the right direction, but it is not standard in all cars, and it should be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capt bruce Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 One of the easiest ways for auto manufacturers to reduce the need for side impact protection in cars is for them to eliminate the possibility of internet connection/reception for occupants of the front seats in cars while the engine is running. But that'll never fly. With you there Roy , but you can make something idiot proof , but than someone just makes a better idiot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smally21 Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 thats interesting merc, and a good step. a dvd player is legally reqd to be installed with a lockout that is tagged to the parking brake. an auto installer is actually obligated to include this step, of course joe DIY might just ground this out.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 thats interesting merc, and a good step. a dvd player is legally reqd to be installed with a lockout that is tagged to the parking brake. an auto installer is actually obligated to include this step, of course joe DIY might just ground this out.. Ya tell me about it. When we picked up the car, the Rep spent a half hour explaining how to program, the phone to accept voice commands, like Dial Home, etc.When the phone rings while driving, all you have to say is Connect. The GPS will work when you switch to NAV mode, but will only show you where you are. To program a route, you must pull over and put the car in park. Really great ideas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishing n autograph Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 In philadelphia? That would be merging...love the city hate the drive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Now what is more dangerous, a passenger re-programming the GPS, or trying to pull over and re-merge into traffic? personally, merging and pulling over is safer.Signal lites and patience makes the manouver very safe. Normally a passenger in my car, would have no clue how to set the GPS in my car, and if iwas driving, it would be difficult for me not to be watching him carefully, to make sure he was doing it right But thats just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adolson Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 I always wore my seatbelt, except once when I stopped at the post office on my way home. I didn't put my belt on for the 30-second trip from the post office to my driveway because well, it was 30 seconds and would almost take as long to buckle up. Lo and behold, a cop is waiting at the end of my street, 3 seconds from my driveway. Now I wear my seatbelt even if I'm just moving my car to my lot across the road - they could be hiding in the bushes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishing n autograph Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Like ninjas! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skeeter Posted October 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Dana, most accidents happen less then 1 mile from home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Like ninjas! Or Game Wardens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miracon Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 When I was younger, I used to not bother to wear my seat belt. My argument always was that I didn't need one for my motorcycle nor on the bus. And then I totaled 2 bikes (the other guy was charged each time...had to mention!) and I learned what it was like to be ejected! And to top it off, the first time I landed under a TTC bus just as it started to pull away (luckily the woman that got off the bus could scream really loud! Haha!) and the 2nd time I landed in oncoming traffic on Avenue Rd during rush hour. Another close call! Flying through the air and not knowing what the outcome of your landing is going to be is NOT fun! Especially when everything is in slow motion and you have time to think about it! Haha! I always wear a seat belt now and make sure everyone else in the vehicle is buckled up also or the wheels don't move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbles Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Why aren't there seatbelts on buses? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Why aren't there seatbelts on buses? Here in Montreal, people would steal them her is the real answer http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100116105708AAXRSqH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lew Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Whats really strange is the fact that your given a hefty fine for not wearing a seatbelt in your car, yet your allowed to stand, fully unprotected, on buses subways and streetcars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercman Posted October 25, 2011 Report Share Posted October 25, 2011 Cost versus Risk, i guess Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts