Poll: Americans and Seatbelts

[tharglet]

I wear seatbelts, but not in the US, so I voted for the shiny poll button option .

Some cars have really uncomfortable seatbelts tho, which can cut into your neck a bit. End up having to try and move it a bit or put a bit of tshirt/coat in the way so it doesn't hurt.

Don't have to put up with that much any more, as I now drive myself about .

 

[trooper6]

I'm an American who wears seatbelts...but as to your friend. Here's the thing about America...we've got a bunch of people who love "freedom" and hate the government or rules of any kind. They are the type that don't want to be made to wear seatbelts...or helmets when riding a motorcycle. They think safety standards are a violation of the constitution. They the second amendment's right to bare arms should apply to bazookas. They don't care about anyone but themselves (and not even that considering their choices)...and they have no sense of community responsibility. Perhaps your friend is one of those types.

On the other hand, not all Americans are like that.

 

[scorptatious]

Um, what kind of backwater town does your friend live in? Where I live in the U.S., everyone I know wears a seatbelt. It's illegal not to wear one while in a car.

 

[Zeraki]

I think most of the people who don't wear seatbelts have never been in an accident. When I was a kid my mom hit a deer, and since I wasn't wearing a seatbelt I went flying forwards. If it weren't for the air bag I would have been seriously hurt or killed. Ever since then I always wear them, and they're really not all that uncomfortable.

 

[TheRealCJ]

Um, what kind of backwater town does your friend live in? Where I live in the U.S., everyone I know wears a seatbelt. It's illegal not to wear one while in a car.

Philadelphia, I think he said.

 

[Flames66]

That is one of the reasons I no longer play GTA 4. Many times when I hit something I would fly straight through the wind screen. I always wear my seatbelt and I actually felt insulted that the game assumed I wanted not to, without giving me the option.

 

[SirDoom]

It's not about the belt. It's about the government not having the right to protect me from my own stupidity.

I happen to like being thrown through windows at high speeds. It builds character.

No really, I don't have anything against seatbelts, but I don't think they should be mandatory. I'm not hurting anyone by potentially killing myself. Well, aside from the obvious, but that particular case is hardly illegal.

 

[xmbts]

I always wear mine, but I make up for that bit of common sense by not wearing a helmet while riding a bike.

 

[Jonluw]

if i sit in the front i do, in the back i don't bother.

I remember I was taught this when I did the introductory traffic course: If you sit in the back, using the seatbelt is even more important than when you're in the front. Why? Because the people in the front seat probably appreciate not having a grown person flying towards the back of their seat at 80 km/h.

Let's say you're driving at 27 m/s (that's 97,2 km/h(approx. 60 mph)) and you weigh 100 kg (200 pounds)(for convenience).
In the event of a car crash you will keep moving forward as the car stops. Let's say your impact with the front seat lasts for 0.5 seconds.
That gives you a negative acceleration of 54 m/s^2
F=ma, which gives us F=100kg*54m/s^2 That's 5400 N. This means the force your body works on the front seat is 550 times the one your weight currently works on the ground.
Imagine stacking 550 clones of yourself on top of that car seat (The car would have to stand vertically of course). Do you think the seat would break?
I imagine the person sitting in the front seat wouldn't be very comfortable.

Edit: Yeah, seems I did some mistakes with the maths and some unreasonable estimates here. Let's say the stop takes shorter time. 0.2 seconds for instance. That equals approx. 138 m/s^2 which is 14 g. 550 g was a ridiculous estimate.
The force you're subjected to is more like 13800 N in this scenario though, it would seem.

Of course, it might be that I've got my maths wrong right now. In any case, sitting in the back seat doesn't mean you're much safer.

 

[Frostbite3789]

I always wear it. In Texas you can be pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt.

"Click it or ticket" is the slogan they use. I dunno what the fine is though.

 

[Gaiseric]

Always, and if anyone is with me I don't put the car in gear till they put their seat belt on. Wear it for safety and not getting a ticket or fine is a plus.

 

[HapexIndustries]

There should've been an option for "half and half." I wear a seatbelt when driving during the day or if I'm in fast areas but if I'm driving 4 blocks to the convenience store I usually don't.

I got a ticket in New York for driving with no seatbelt, it was like a hundred bucks or something. It was National Buckle Up Weekend or some shit. Police officer half apologized but he had to give it to me. I didn't learn anything at all from the experience.

I have a tendency to pull the seatbelt over my shoulder while driving, so it looks like I have it on.

However, if I am a passenger I usually don't wear one in the back seat, though I will in the front. I dunno why.

 

[paragon1]

I live in the U.S., and I don't know anyone who refuses to strap into their seat belt. Maybe it's because I don't generally associate with retards?

 

[TheRealCJ]

There should've been an option for "half and half." I wear a seatbelt when driving during the day or if I'm in fast areas but if I'm driving 4 blocks to the convenience store I usually don't.

I got a ticket in New York for driving with no seatbelt, it was like a hundred bucks or something. It was National Buckle Up Weekend or some shit. Police officer half apologized but he had to give it to me. I didn't learn anything at all from the experience.

I have a tendency to pull the seatbelt over my shoulder while driving, so it looks like I have it on.

However, if I am a passenger I usually don't wear one in the back seat, though I will in the front. I dunno why.

See, I don't get that, if you're going to go to the effort of making it LOOK like you're wearing a seat belt, how much more harder is it to just slide the hook into the latch?

 

[tigermilk]

If you are sat behind me either put on a seatbelt or get out of the fucking car, I don't want your body impacting on the back of my seat.

 

[WanderingFool]

I see seatbelts as an attempt to continue Darwin's work. Those to stupid to not wear one, die... BTW, when ever I drive my car, I always wear a seatbelt, and I dont even put the car into drive until everyone else has their seat belt on. They can be stupid on their own time, not while im driving.