Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site whuxj.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!floyd!harpo!ihnp4!houxm!whuxj!blesch From: blesch@whuxj.UUCP (Carl Blesch) Newsgroups: net.auto Subject: Seatbelt discussion -- new twist Message-ID: <93@whuxj.UUCP> Date: Fri, 27-Jan-84 13:18:12 EST Article-I.D.: whuxj.93 Posted: Fri Jan 27 13:18:12 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 31-Jan-84 02:11:47 EST Organization: Bell Labs, Whippany, N.J. Lines: 27 Recently there's been quite a bit of discussion in net.followup on mandatory seatbelt laws. I'd like to start up a bit of discussion on a related matter and see how people think. I've been a seatbelt wearer ever since I took driver's ed in high school, and my seatbelt habit paid off last year when I was able to walk away mildly bruised from a rather serious accident. When I mention how valuable my seatbelt was to ardent seatbelt non-users, they often respond, "well, I know of so-and-so who was in a crash, and she survived 'cause she WASN'T wearing her seatbelt." These people explain that so-and-so's car flipped into the river and the driver would have been trapped if she were wearing her belt, or she was hit from the side and got pushed out of the way, whereas if she were belted in, would have been squashed, etc. I'm wondering, are there any statistics to substantiate these sort of things -- that not wearing a seatbelt can actually help in certain crashes, or conversely, that seatbelts can be liabilities in certain types of crashes? I'm afraid that seatbelt non-users will cook up any kind of a story to excuse their bad habit. Still plan to keep wearing my seatbelt . . . Carl Blesch, . . .!whuxj!blesch