Who doesn't wear a seat belt?

[King Kool]

You guys have seen these commercials they've been (at least around here) hammering into us about wearing seat belts.

But... who doesn't wear a seat belt? I wouldn't be comfortable in a moving car without a seat belt.

Anyone out there not wear a seat belt?

[Lyinginbedmon]

I don't trust human-driven automobiles to begin with, let alone with reduced safety precautions.

[Dubious_wolf]

I wouldn't feel uncomfortable for not wearing one... But the potential ticket is enough to make me buckle up.

[empath]

I'd voted what I consciously believed - always wear that belt (as Dubious says, it just doesn't feel right without it)...

...and then I remembered, when I'm a passenger in a taxi.


Well, I always wear it if it's offered!

[King Kool]

Yeah, it's the same thing on a bus. I really hope I'm never in a severe accident in a bus (or in anything, of course).

[Metcarfre]

Bus is different because generally you'll have more mass than any other vehicle you'll strike - and I've been a passenger on a transit bus when we were in a (minor) accident and have witnessed a few others. Buses are heavy.

I always wear my seatbelt, always have, and feel uncomfortable without it. If I'm just waiting in the car I'll even leave it on then.

[JustAName]

Some family friends in Hawaii don't use seatbelts when they drive. They were rocketing around the twisty roads, and almost scornful of us wearing them. I cannot not wear a seatbelt, though. Too scary. (Even when we've piled in too many people in a car because we're traveling from our LARP to food nearby, we try to stretch the seatbelt over the people piled two deep.)

[Kapol]

I always wear my seatbelt when I'm driving or riding in the passenger seat. The only times I don't have a seatbelt on are when I'm in the back, by myself, and want to get some sleep. Then I just lay down without it sometimes. But that's doesn't happen all that often.

[Jamfalcon]

I remember once when I was probably six or seven and my seatbelt came undone while going around a pretty sharp corner down–hill, and I was absolutely terrified with panic. The funny part is that it was a familiar road (between my house and town, so I was on it pretty much every time I went out) and it was after ten or fifteen minutes or driving, so it must not have been buckled properly the whole time. A few years later, I was in a van with some friends and one of them unbuckled on the highway to grab something from the back seats (we were in the middle row) and I was appalled that they'd do such a thing.

So yes, I always wear one. Like others have said, I'd just feel weird not doing so.

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

I always wear one.
I forgot once in a driving lesson because I was preoccupied with everything else

I used to not wear one when I was young because it was thrilling, but then I wore them again.

During school on the buses I would always wear one even if the other kids took the piss out of me (they couldn't take the piss out of me whilst in a coma).

[LogicSword]

Wait.... There are people who don't?

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

There were...

[phlip]

I don't bother putting on a seatbelt for the short bit when I drive out of my garage, and then get out to close the garage door (or the reverse when I come home)... in which I drive about 2 car lengths at slower than walking speed, none of it on a public road.

For everything else, though, I wear my seatbelt.

[The Jester]

You're going to edit this so it's about condoms or something, aren't you, Kool?

[Darkobra]

If that's the case, you should STILL wear a "seatbelt" to be safe.

[MattAn]

You're going to edit this so it's about condoms or something, aren't you, Kool?

...You're implying that it isn't already?

What are we talking about otherwise!? I THOUGHT YOU'RE MEANT TO ALWAYS BUCKLE UP FOR SEXY TIMES. Where did it all go wrong!?

"It'd just feel weird to not do so." YEP, TOTALLY SEX-RELATED.

[Valkyrie-Lemons]

I always wear it because it's the law.

Honestly, I don't feel that much safer with them on. If you're in a major accident with a vehicle that is much larger (i.e a lorry) then I don't see how a seatbelt is really going to help you.

Saying that, I would probably still wear one. It's not like wearing a seatbelt is bad for you, and I have no reason not to wear them, I just feel there isn't a huge benefit to them either.

[Phailhammer]

Aren't seatbelts supposed to stop people smacking into things or through the windscreen in a crash?

[Merrymaker_Mortalis]

Seat belts absorb a lot of + Vertical Gs when the vehicle suddenly drops speed. Which reduces injuries for the passengers.

I'm curious as to why there's the existence of this dry poll. To mock the ones who don't wear seat belts?

[empath]

Perhaps the originator needed something to point to when arguing with a R/W friend? "See? It's UNANIMOUS - 100% of a group of complete strangers think you're being reckless!" (which means that 23rd person screwed it up )

Perhaps this was going to be a bait-and-switch poll, but the fact that most of the replies specifically refer to seat belts might have ruined the potential for that?

But yeah, I actually feel a little MORE serious about seat belts than I do about 'love gloves' - being happily married and monogamous for more than fourteen years and at the stage where having a child isn't exactly the end of the world, and 'protection' isn't quite necessary.

[Metcarfre]

Honestly, I don't feel that much safer with them on. If you're in a major accident with a vehicle that is much larger (i.e a lorry) then I don't see how a seatbelt is really going to help you.

it prevents you from being flung into, or even through, the windshield. Having witnessed the aftermath of a few size-mismatched accidents, while it's certainly apparent which was the less massive vehicle, modern construction of cars (crumple zones, air bags etc) give you better odds than you may think.

Can I just say, though - people, stop talking on the phone while driving. It doesn't matter if it's hands-free or not, it's effectively as bad as driving drunk because as I learned recently, talking on the phone and driving use the same part of the brain.

[My pseudonym is Ix]

I remember going on holiday with some friends who live in Costa Rica a while ago, and I was the only person (including three other members of my family, who would never normally not do so) to wear a belt every time we got in a car. However, this was in a country where taxi drivers have no problem with letting you get in the boot, despite knowing it to be totally illegal

[Cerk]

I do tend to use the seatbelt pretty much all the time. As previously mentioned the only times I don't is when backing out of the garage when I have to get back out to close the doors, or when backing up with a trailer because then you want to really be able to see everything at once, and not being buckled up does help in that particular circumstance.

[empath]

Yeah, I've had to move my brother's pickup to borrow my folks' car, and I'm often not bothering to belt up then...but I still do sometimes.

...but even getting in a cab, I have that split-second of unsettled feeling from not putting a belt on.

And AMEN on the cellular/mobile VS. driving! One or the other; if it's that important, pull over. If you're in that much of a rush, let it go to voicemail.

AND THAT INCLUDES TEXTING!!!

[Metcarfre]

Texting is even worse.