Here in NJ if you have a car that pre-dates the seatbelt laws you don't have to buckle up. I have debated with myself whether I should (I do sometimes), but generally I don't go fast and I am not certain that the seatbelt construction (one across the lap) is any safer then nothing on.

What do you all do or think in your classic vehicles?

 

I do, the dashboard and steering wheel from the "old days" will hit you like a brick wall compared to the air bags and collapsing steering wheels of today. . Plus I have to, every time the kids get in they buckle up immediately out of habit and then give me the once over and say "you forgot to be be safe Papa."

 

It has been proven that lap belts do harm you. All the force of your upper body going forward, but you lower body staying in place has been shown to cause spinal injuries and causing people to spend the rest of their lives in a wheelchair.

However, 71 Cutlass is right. The dash and steering colum of older cars don't move

 

Watch this video.

1959 Chevy Impala v 2009 Chevy Malibu

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrXViFfMGk

 

Have seen that video several times before and always wondered about the amount of rust dust that flies off of the 59. Makes me wonder if the frame was rusted out or not.

Yes buckle up seat belts are better then nothing at all

 

lap belts are marginally safer than no belts. but don't like sliding around in my seat.

 

I wear my seatbelt 100% of the time regardless of the vehicle I'm in.
I've seen what NOT wearing a seatbelt can do to a human body even at slow speeds.
It doesn't feel good, and the aftermath is often gruesome, or permanently debilitating.

My wife never wore one until she was hit by another driver and she ate the windshield and permanently damaged her back for life.
THe ONLY vehicles I don't use a seatbelt are my Harley and my Hayabusa, but I wear helmets and safety gear.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFX9kQweHZ4&feature=fvst

survey_saysWRONG.jpg

That's because you've been lucky enough so far to not learn how much damage can be done to your body without one.
People have this HUUUUUGE misconception that just because they are a good driver means they'll never get in an accident.
You have to factor in the unknown % chance that another driver will crash into you at ANY given moment.
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.

Imagine running blindfolded about 5-10mph into a brick wall with a steering wheel sticking out of it lined up with your chest.
You know that's going to hurt like hell right ?? So why is a 2 ton vehicle stopping at faster speeds going to be any different ??
Remember.....that's only 5-10mph too.

Another thing people overlook in classic vehicles is headrests were put in for safety reasons in the 60's iirc.

 

When I was on the volunteer fire department we had a call to a collision between a 1/2 ton truck and a train. The truck was hit at the front fender and threw the truck about 30 feet into the bush. When the train hit the truck, the drivers door blew open and driver flew out of the truck. When both the truck and the driver landed, the driver landed first and the rear wheel of the truck landed on the back of the driver's neck. It has been proven many times that remaining in the vehicle increases your chance of staying alive. WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!!!!!

 

I always wear mine no matter what car I am in. I will add shoulder belts to my 71 conv. soon. Hopefully this winter. I know I am a safe driver, however it is the drunk,stoned, texting idiot next to me that has me worried. If they don't get me bambi will.
Larry

 

My grandfather was a body and fender man back before the War.
He ran a tow car back in the days before 2-way radios and EMS services, when a lot of cars still had plate glass windows.
Starting in the fifties, he used to install airplane seat belts in any car he owned (there were no car seat belts then). We grew up with him telling us EXACTLY what would happen if we got into an accident without our seatbelts on, and I have almost always worn one religiously (during the seven years I was a paramedic, I actually wore them less, for some reason, and we used to hit stuff all the time).

That being said, I would prefer not to wear one at certain times, such as for short hops in areas where the speed limit is 25mph, and it annoys the p-ss out of me that some cop with nothing to do can give me a ticket to "enhance the revenue" of the municipality if I don't do something that is nobody's business but my own.

... And I don't want any cops on here telling me "it's for my own good." It's my job to determine what "my own good" is, and nobody else's. I will listen respectfully to such a lecture from a priest or a monk who doesn't smoke, drink, do drugs, or have sex, and who eats a perfect diet, walks five miles a day,, and never says a harsh word to others, but anyone else should get his own house in order first.

- Eric

 

I always buckle up. Being even a "perfect" driver won't keep some moron from plowing into you without notice. Sure many early 70's cars had collapsing columns but I would not want to see how well they worked. Of couse my vert did not come with shoulder belts, but given the areas and times I drive it, the chances of a wreck are low.
Belts will do more good than harm in most cases. Also, they keep you in place should you brake or turn suddenly.

 

My 68 has lap and shoulder, I would think your car would have the same?

 

x2... since ~1988 when I tasted windshield as a passenger. 16 yo kid blew a red light , ricocheted off a minivan, and head-on'd us @ ~ 35mph. Had about .5 seconds to react which was just me throwing my arm up across my face....

^^ This intrigues me. An OEM setup ? (Was that avaiable ??) Or ?

 

Always wear mine, regardless of what car I am in.

 

I always buckle up in my daily drivers and my '67 Delta 88. However I don't buckle up in the tractor trailer that I drive at work, although I could receive a ticket and two points against my licence if I was nailed by the poooo-lease. They seem to leave truckers alone. Thank God!

Jaybird

 

YUp, was in a head on with my '68 cutlass, lap belt on, no injuries, engine ate the radiator however and the mazda truck that hit me in my own lane twisted the frame.

 

No I have convertible and only lap.

 

I wear mine 99% of the time, its mostly habit. I been using seatbelts for so long, can't remember not using them As much as the shoulder belt is uncomfortable in my Olds, I still use it. I really dont like how it comes across mostly at my neck. Sure beats being ejected.

 

I once saw a '67?? black 442, maybe w30, convertible with factory shoulder belts & I know shoulder belts were an option in '70-'72 G.M. A body convertibles. I bought a '71 Cutlass a couple years ago & they had them. They were installed on the heavy metal bracket where the top of the cylinders are attached to if I remember right. Here are a few pictures of a factory installed set. They are kind of like a regular shoulder belt, but they have the regular belt end that takes the large bolt, instead of the smaller end that takes two smaller bolts.
While restoring my '70 Vista Cruiser "SX" I noticed in the service manual that second & third seat shoulder belts were available. I've never seen a set, but did install a set for the second seat in my wagon. I also saw that you could get shoulder belts for the rear seat passengers in hardtop cars. Provisions for the belts are already in the C pillar of our cars. Who knew??

 

I wish I had a shoulder belt in my 68 convert. In the last six months I wised up and started using the shoulder belt in my 70 F85. I have always used the lap belt but a cop friend reminded me of what the steering wheel can do to my face........and it is bad enough already!

 

See in my sig where it says:
Lap and shoulder belt on, through a telephone pole, and end over end down an embankment. I got out of the car without a scratch (car was on it's roof with me hanging upside down).

Do I wear a seatbelt?.....in everything I own

 

Hopefully I can add a little insight to this topic. I work in auto insurance claims, so I deal with car accidents all day, every day. Tens of thousands of them over my career.

If your car has a proper lap and shoulder belt, it's just plain foolish not to wear it at all times. They do their job. Lap only belts are an entirely different story. The argument could easily be made that they cause more harm than good. In a head on crash, they'll cause your upper body to whip forward. So your face will smash the steering wheel at an incredible rate of speed, easily breaking your neck. For a passenger, the lap belt can easily break a spine, cause internal injuries and/or still allow your head to hit the dash or seatback (for rear seat passengers). They're no good.

 

I buckle up 100% of the time. If you're not buckled in you can not steer the car when you sliding around hangin on for dear life.

Statistically, you're more likely to get in a wreck closer to home.

 

It's like looking in both directions at a stop sign, TWICE, every time.....I ALWAYS buckle up, became habit prior to becoming law in Texas way back.

 

Sounds like I need to move, then...

 

Rob, I don't think that would help.

" No matter where you go...................there you are."

 

The old statistic was 90% of crashes happen within 25 miles from home. Statisticaly I bet 90% of the time people drive, it is within 25 miles from home.

 

I have always worn my seat belt, even way back in the day. Used to have people make fun of me for wearing it, and would tell me about people that were killed while wearing theirs, but I wore it anyhow. Still do. I always buckled up when I rode with someone too. Teepo has shoulder straps, but I've never even unfolded them. I just wear the lap belt. I taught Nicole to always wear hers too!!

 

I always wear seatbelts,during some defensive driving classes I have taken,seen pictures of what happens with no belt. Very convincing pictures.

 

^^ This intrigues me. An OEM setup ? (Was that avaiable ??) Or ?[/quote]


In cutlass convertibles shoulder belts were an option. I found a place that sells them. The mounting points are already there. Seatbelt Solutions. A couple of months ago there was a thread about someone who put them in his 69? convertible.
Larry

 

Before they made it a law I never belted up. Actually, when my oldest son was born I did wear one when driving with him. I thought since he is in a car seat, if I get into an accident and was knocked unconscious and the car started on fire, who would get him out? So I wore it. Once it became law (mid 80's in AB,) I wear it all the time, no matter what car I'm in, no matter where I drive. Now, it's just a natural thing to do when getting in a car. They are not so strict about it in Asia and South America.

 

I, for one cannot wear just a lap belt. I have a spinal fusion, and if it's a choice between a lap belt or no belt, I have to go without. That being said, if I do own another car (hopefully soon) that only has lap belts, I'm going to do 1 of 2 things.

1 - Get a medical waiver card (yes, they do have such a thing) or

2 - Install a shoulder harness or 4-point belts. This may take a while to source and install, but in the meantime, I'll go with the above option until I can find something that works for me.

They just started REALLY cracking down on this issue locally. To the point we now have a few patrol cars in the area with "seatbelt enforcement unit" prominently displayed on the car. If it's a choice I need to deal with to keep from getting pulled over regularly and cited for other things once they have me at their mercy on the side of the road, I'll do everything I can to visually comply with the legalities.

I know I'm a special case, but the older lap-belt only cars are the only ones I have to worry about. 75% of the time I wear my belt for all normal driving, no matter what it is or where I'm going. That's WAY up from where I was a decade ago, where it was at best 10% of the time.

-Jeff

 

You may be going 25, that doesn't mean that everyone else will be...

 

I've seen too many cars in wrecking yards where there was a circular smash mark in the windshield in front of the driver (and often the passenger). I'll take a CHANCE of injury over death from not wearing belts any day. To me, people who refuse to wear belts are just demonstrating evolution in action. Now if only my insurance cost didn't increase to cover their personal choice not to wear belts.

 

a little over a year ago, my son and i were driving to swim practice in my jeep cherokee. We came around a bend and a drunk driver was 100% in my lane. i had nowhere to go. we hit head on. the woman(drunk) was killed immediately. i knew this because the people who had stopped could only glance into her car as they walked by. my front pumpkin cut a hole in her hood (Dodge Dynasty) clear to the windshield wipers before bouncing off. my son was fine except for having his bell rung by the airbag. i thought i was ok until after checking my son out, that my tibia and fibula (from hitting the brakes) had exploded out of the front of my leg (pants and all). Things were bad but could have been much worse. i now have a rod from my knee to my ankle. the fact that my son is alive and well and the damage that was done to my leg will never let me forget just how important safety precautions are. whether it is texting/talking, drinking and driving, seat belts, or regular maintenance on your car, you can never be too safe. My accident had nothing to do with my driving. i know that when your time is up, it is up. I choose to remove as many of the variables that contribute to such accidents as i can. The truth is, that drunk driver paid for my Cutlass (via insurance proceeds). It serves a yet another reminder of how quick a life can be altered forever.

 

I always wear seat belts but that wasn't always the case. Maybe I got wiser as I got older. And I just wouldn't think of driving today without them. Joe mentions seeing cars in wrecking yards with windshields that show impact from a person. I used to work in the auto body industry a number of years ago and I did some of the towing. I saw many a car where there was skin, scalp and hair embedded in the front windshield which is enough to get anyone's attention. Plus, I was the guy who got the job of replacing a dash when someone's body did enough damage to warrant a replacement. Still remember that '79 Lincoln Bill Blas edition that was about 6 months old. Hit a tree, destroyed the front and the dash was badly damaged. The car was repaired and I replaced the dash among other things. As I was wrapping up the dash replacement on a particular Friday afternoon, I asked the shop foreman what time the owner was coming by to pick it up. Mind you that I was laying across the front seat with my head partially ender the dash as I was asking this question. I was told the owner wasn't coming but that the car would be leaving that day. I asked what was up with the owner and was told that the owner fell asleep at the wheel, went off the road, wasn't wearing a seat belt, hit a tree about 100 yards from the road and was launched into the dash and windshield. The guy broke his neck from the impact on the windshield. Worst yet, since the car went off the road, it wasn't found for a day and a half and the guy was dead in the car on the front seat where I was now laying! Needless to say, I don't recall exiting that vehicle but I was out of it in just a few seconds. The bad news was I hadn't finished hooking up the radio and I had to get that done. Ewwwwwwwwwwwww!!! Had the guy been buckled in, he would have likely lived.

 

Quite a awful story, glad your son is OK and you were fixable.

I have spent the last 5 minutes though, trying to figure out what this sentence means. I've tried everything I can think of, and I still don't know what word you were looking for that came out "pumpkin".

 

In a Toranado, It usually means front differential

 

Best guess it the differential for the front axle (Jeep 4x4)


-Jeff

 

With all of the efforts by police to enforce seat belt use and the money spent to promote the use of seat belts, I still find it ironic that most kids ride to school in a bus that does not have seat belts. Big padded seats...yes... but no seat belts. Makes no sense to me. There have been accidents where a bus will roll over and the kids go flying everywhere.