Moms who do not buckle

[Unregistered]

Myself and five other moms who live in my neighborhhod started a moms night out. We go somewhere every other Thursday. The first time we went out I drove everyone in my Volvo wagon. Two up front, 2 in the middle, and two in the rear. Before starting the car I asked everyont to bucke. The two mom's in the middle flat out refused to wear their lap and shoulder belts in the back seat.

Last night another woman drove all of us in her van. Again the two women, this time in the third row refused to buckle again. I asked them to even though it was not my car, because the are a danger to everyone else in the vehicle.

How can they have such litttle respect for themselves and others with them? How can they not try to set a good example for their kids? Should I continue to ride with them? Should I allow them in my car again? Interested in seeing what you think.

[skaterbabscpst]

Sorry - in my car you buckle up or you ride with someone else. If you want to kill yourselves, fine, but you will not risk my life.

(Not *you* you, generic you. lol)

[Jeanum]

I've run into this before with some family members and friends, and I simply won't put my car in gear unless every occupant is buckled into their respective seatbelt or car seat. If they won't use the seatbelt in my car, they can walk because I won't drive them, and I wouldn't ride with them in their car either if they don't buckle up. It's too risky as you said not only to themselves but to others in the vehicle. Nothing like being safely buckled up only to be hurt or worse by another unrestrained human projectile in a crash. The human projectile terminology has gotten some of my formerly reluctant to buckle up passengers to cooperate.

[shellebelle]

While I rarely have a problem with getting people to buckle up in my car, the offenders usually comply when I tell them that I'll let them get a head start walking.

[Unregistered]

I was amazed they both flat out refused. I asked them about the policy for passengers in their cars and they both said they make their kids wear seat belts but neither one of them do. They are both very nice, i just thought they were smarter than that.

[wendytthomas]

I agree. In my car you buckle. I will, and have, sit there and wait for someone to buckle up.

I wouldn't ride with them again. Tell them that you're not interested in having adult projectiles in your car, they can buckle up or they can drive themselves.

Wendy

[scatterbunny]

Tell them that in a 30 mph crash their 130 pound bodies (or whatever they really weigh) will become almost 4,000 pounds (TWO TONS) of force flying forward to hit anyone else in the vehicle. They are DEADLY PROJECTILES when unrestrained. Tell them it's just fine if they don't care about their own lives, but you will not let them jeopardize the lives of everyone else in the vehicle.

That's what I've told my Nana, my best friend and my brother-in-law. No one else has been so bold to try to get away without buckling up. They all know how I am about vehicle safety and won't cross me on it, in MY vehicle.

[Unregistered]

Where I live passengers are required by law to be buckled up. If they aren't and are caught the driver is considered responsible. (Gets the points and has to pay the fine.) So, since they won't listen to reason - why not see if the law is on your side and use that as the reason they must buckle up?

[Unregistered]

Good point about state laws, but some laws require seatbelts for front seat occupants only, while the laws of physics apply to every occupant. Some insurance companies offer a discount if you agree everyone in your car will always use a seatbelt. Presumably an unrestrained occupant would be in violation of an insurance policy with a seatbelt use clause, giving you extra leverage for everyone buckling up beyond the fundamental laws of physics and state laws.

[Kashi]

Not buckling up equals not riding in my vehicle. Period.

[scatterbunny]

In Oregon the driver only gets the ticket for an unrestrained passenger if that passenger is under 16 (or is it 18? Not sure now!). Anyone older than that is responsible for their own ticket, so convincing an adult to buckle up because of the ticket isn't always easy. Explaining the projectile dangers has always convinced my passengers to wear their seatbelt.

[Dawn]

I would be straight forward and tell them that it is for everyones safety that they buckle up. If they don't like it and it makes other moms uncomfortable I would let them drive on there own.
I also wanted to add that you need to check your Volvo manual about your third seat. Ours states "The Volvo Auxiliary Seat is fitted with three-point seat belts and is designed for children between 50-88 pounds and 59 inches tall". Mine is older so it may have changed.

[Unregistered]

Thanks. I will check the manual. I wasn't aware of that.

[childrestraintsafety]

Why would people NOT want to use a seatbelt? It's second nature for me to buckle up, if I didn't I'd feel loose and it wouldn't feel 'natural' lol. Mind you, it's the law in my country to wear one, and if you're caught not wearing it, you get an instant $150 fine. I think ages 15 and upwards, they are responsible for themselves though and THEY get the fine if they're caught. But like I said, I just can't understand why someone wouldn't want to buckle up, not that hard really.

[papooses]

In my vehicle, I don't start the engine until everyone is buckled ... in other vehicles I refuse to join unless everyone buckles.

When they ask why I explain that in a 30 MPH crash a person weighing only 100 pounds impacts everyone else in the vehicle with 3,000 (three thousand) pounds of force & that's not a risk I'm willing to take -- I jokingly say something to the effect of "so it's not just your life at risk, but mine as well & I'm just plain selfish" ... although we all here know that's no joke! :rolleyes: ;) :cool:

[KaysKidz]

Well, I have to admit to not considering the projectile aspect of things. Just this past weekend, we visited my in-laws, and we had to take my vehicle (a suburban) for everyone to fit into one car when we went somewhere. Neither of my in-laws buckled up. BUT, I do know that my seat belts do not fit my mil, as she is a large woman. I do not have seat belt extensions.

And on another note, I have a dear friend who is like the women spoken about in the OP. She refuses to wear a seat belt. Her reasoning is this...she was in a serious accident when she was 20ish. She was told that had she had her seat belt on, she would of been dead. She hit a tree and was thrown clear of the car with minor injuries. So she's convinced that she's safer. Even her 15yr old son is not buckled in their vehicle most of the time.

I'll take my chances WITH a seat belt, thank you!

[scatterbunny]

I'd strongly consider getting a seatbelt extender for MIL and insisting they wear their seatbelts with you. In my CPST class we were shown videos of unrestrained passengers (adults and kids), and it isn't pretty. The bodies fly all over the vehicle, slamming into everything. That's THOUSANDS of pounds of force slamming into any other passengers.

The vast majority of people who are thrown out of a vehicle during a crash die. Period. The fact that she survived is a fluke, a miracle. Not evidence that being unrestrained is safer. :(

[cantech]

Statistics show you are twice as likely to die if you are in a collision with an unrestrained occupant in the vehicle with you. There is a fabulous Irish PSA out there on the net that really gets the point accross! I'll try to locate it and post the link later. Personally no belt no travel! Period! And I would walk myself before I would allow someone to risk my life so needlessly!

[cantech]

As promised...If anyone can ride in a vehicle without a seatbelt after watching this don't ride with them.

http://www.mojoflix.com/Video/Wear-Your-Seat-Belt.html

[Hannah]

As promised...If anyone can ride in a vehicle without a seatbelt after watching this don't ride with them.

http://www.mojoflix.com/Video/Wear-Your-Seat-Belt.html


How scary! I should show that to DH who has gotten into the habit of not buckling (he'll even buckle the PASSENGER side seatbelt into the driver's side to stop the beeping...sheesh!).

[Unregistered]

I think it's so irresponsible not to insist that all passengers are secured properly in a carseat/seatbelt. In my car it's either buckle up or start walking. I couldn't live with myself if I allowed someone to ride in my car unrestrained, and something happened. I think it should be a law that seatbelts are required in a seating positions.

[thepeach80]

We just got our new van at my parents and the first time they were in the car I made them wear their seatbelts (after we left and noticed them not bucling up). I hadn't thought the projectile aspect either, but it makes sense and since they were in the 3nd row behind my children, glad they buckled up! lol Anytime they rode w/ me from then on, they wore their belts. I admit I used to not wear my seatbelt in the backseat until I got into an accident once back there and I still have permanant dents in my shins from hitting the seat in front of me. I'm lucky that and some soreness was all I had since our car was totalled.

[super_grape]

OOOOOH, I can't wait to show this to my DH!

The work van is out of comission so his brother
rented a Cargo van for a job they're doing and this
morning they came to the house to get some lumber
(my DH, BIL, FIL), as they were driving away I realized that
it's a 2 seater so guess where my DH was sitting...on the FLOOR!
This is sooooo not cool and I don't really understand why, he had our van
and could've driven it, but I do know it'll be the last time he does that:mad: !
He had a few "animated" phone calls from me once I figured it out.

Maybe I'll make his father and brother watch it too.....

FWIW, nobody rides in my car w/o a seatbelt...I have choice words with MIL when she just puts the seat belt around her but dosen't buckle it:confused: ,
She says it's not comfortable and I tell her neither is flying thru the
windshield......Why oh why are people so careless??!!

[OwensMama]

I lurk but rarely post, but had to throw this in!

Here is the video you want to see! (though if you are squeemish or easily disturbed DONT WATCH.)

I dont know what this is, I guess a dash cam that caught a wreck, but WOW!

Really, dont click if you dont want to see this....

I do like that british one too, but this one is REAL!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSYxbqM2zvI

[Unregistered]

I must admit I never wore a seatbelt in the rear of a vehicle until I was i a bad accident my senior year of college. After that I never rode without one or

[soygurl]

Here's another crash video about an unrestrained pasanger becoming a projectile:
http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/campaigns/seatbelts/archive.htm
(I've heard that .asx - high stream works best, but haven't tryed them all myself)

~Kelsie

[Unregistered]

When my kids got independent and decided they could ride without seat belts, I nagged and taught and told and reminded and then one day, on a clear neighborhood street, I stomped on the brakes hard enough to toss them a bit but not really hurt them. The lesson in reality at a slow speed with a careful mom took, and they are adamant about being buckled in and making sure everyone else is. I don't perform my taxi mom role until everyone is buckled in, and the girls threaten their friends with, "If you don't buckle up, mom will do what she did to us!" Don't know that it would work well with older relatives, but it sure took on the kids. I also live in Oregon, and refuse to get ticketed for teens not being buckled up and teens know the value of not getting tickets! Be safe...

"mom" of many
"mother" of two lovely girls, 17 and 20 now.

[Unregistered]

Maybe I'm a bad mother but I don't wear seat belts in the back and I certainly do not make my adult passengers.

[Unregistered]

Maybe I'm a bad mother but I don't wear seat belts in the back and I certainly do not make my adult passengers.


Yeah, I'd at least guess your not too bright.

[Jeanum]

Riding without a seatbelt in any seating position is absolutely not worth the risk of being thrown/ejected in a crash or becoming a human projectile who injures or kills your kids or other passengers. A case in point: A young woman in her 20s in my area was riding in the rear seat of a car unrestrained this past weekend. When the driver lost control of the car and hit a tree, the unrestrained woman in the rear seat was killed instantly when she was thrown forward and collided with the dashboard. :( The driver and another front seat passenger who had on their seatbelts survived, although they did sustain some injuries.

[skaterbabscpst]

Maybe I'm a bad mother but I don't wear seat belts in the back and I certainly do not make my adult passengers.

that's a good way to kill your restrained passengers.

[papooses]

If you're prepared to kill your child, then that's your choice, but I'll call the police if I see you :rolleyes: ;) :cool:

Also, just last weekend my nephew was riding in my van, along with his little sister & Leila & I -- he's 18 & didn't want to buckle ... I told him that I don't start the car until everyone is buckled & asked him how much he weighs (150#) then told him to multiply it by 30. "OK, that means that if some jerk crashes into us at only 30MPH you will crash into your baby sister & my daughter with 4,500 pounds of force" ... he replied: "Man, guess I'm buckling from now on" LOL! You betcha mister.

[Lara]

Why do people not wear their seatbelt in the backseat? Just because it is supposed to be safer in the back dosen't mean the physics of an accident are different and you will be immune to any injury in a crash. I personaly think that you (and all your passengers) would be much safer in the front belted than the back unbelted.
Once a couple years ago I did what a pp mentioned and tapped the breaks with a friend of mine that refused to buckle up. Not hard enough to hurt her but she did fly forward. I never saw her unbuckled again:).

Lara

[Patriot201]

Maybe I'm a bad mother but I don't wear seat belts in the back and I certainly do not make my adult passengers.

Hmmm...

I don't mean to be rude, but I think that is setting a TERRIBLE example for your children. More importantly, you are risking not only your own life, but the lives of every other person in that vehicle (your children included) when you don't buckle up. Is it fair to risk the lives of other people just because you don't care to buckle up?

In my car, EVERYONE wears a seatbelt or sits in a harnessed carseat. There are no options and nothing is up for discussion. I don't care if the other people in my car are adults- in my car, SEATBELTS ARE THE RULE! Everyone respects my rule and buckles up.

[skaterbabscpst]

Exactly. Children who don't see their parents buckle up every ride, every time, are significantly more likely to not buckle themselves as adults.

[jenny03]

In my car, EVERYONE wears a seatbelt or sits in a harnessed carseat. There are no options and nothing is up for discussion. I don't care if the other people in my car are adults- in my car, SEATBELTS ARE THE RULE! Everyone respects my rule and buckles up.
Yup. My son unbuckled himself as we were pulling into the driveway once, and I did not see him. As the car stopped, he lunged forward. He hasn't done it since. I believe the law here says you only need to buckle (as an adult) in the front seat. It's a stupid law. :(

[Patriot201]

That's the law here too- under 16 must be buckled or restrained. Over 16 only has to be buckled in the front seat.

Even though that is the law, MY LAW in MY CAR is that EVERYONE buckles. I don't care if it is not the law. It is MY LAW. :) I figure that as long as I am obeying the law, I can make it more stringent if I want to do so. :)