25 Excuses People Have Used To Justify Not Wearing a Seatbelt
25 Excuses People Have Used To Justify Not Wearing a Seatbelt
By Gord Kowalchuk
There was a recent news report that contributed the high number of traffic fatalities due to the fact that there are still a high number of people who do not wear seatbelts. Seatbelts have been shown that they are effective and do save lives in motor vehicle collisions. Unfortunately, seatbelts cannot save all lives and there are examples where motorists have died when they have been buckled into their seats where people believe that they may have survived if they were not strapped in.
One of the main functions of a seatbelt is that they keep people in their seats in the event of a collision. When a vehicle is involved in a collision there are many dynamic forces that are acting on people as the vehicle decelerated and comes to a resting state. The classic injuries that killed people in the “olden days” included head trauma cause by the head striking the windshield and chest trauma where the chest received massive injuries on the steering columns in frontal collisions. A classic sign of an unbuckled occupant is the spider web designed damage to windshields caused by a head hitting the surface. As modern engineering evolved, we now have crumple zones that absorb the forces of impact, engineered living spaces that provide a safer environment to travel in and new generation of airbags and air curtains that can prevent injuries and death while used in conjunction with seatbelts.
When a vehicle is involved in a collision and the occupants are not restrained, bodies move freely about the vehicle and injuries result when the body hits solid areas of the vehicle, other occupants, or are ejected through openings in the vehicle. There are many examples of videos of what happens to people when they are not restrained available on the internet.
In many jurisdictions around the world, police are on the lookout for people who disobey the laws by not wearing seatbelts. In most cases, it is very easy for police to see the contrasting color of seatbelts against the clothing by people in the vehicles. In some situations, clothing and seatbelts may have a similar color where usage may be less obvious; however, officers may observe that there is no shoulder strap visible from the shoulder area to the door pillar. When a police officer is behind a vehicle, they look for the two shoulder straps that hang parallel to the door pillar.
In many occasions, the vehicle passenger realizes that they are being pulled over for not wearing their seatbelt and the officer notices “shoulder spiders” where the person tries to remain sitting squarely in the seat and brings the opposite hand across the shoulder area to try to reach over and grab the seatbelt and click it in.
Here are 25 examples of excuses that people have given police for not wearing their seatbelts
1. I forgot.
2. They are uncomfortable.
3. They are not “cool”.
4. I know someone who was killed in a crash while wearing a seatbelt.
5. I will drown if I drive into a lake.
6. I will burn to death if the seatbelt jams up.
7. I am too big to wear the seatbelt.
8. You have to die sometime.
9. No government will tell me what I have to do.
10. I am a good driver.
11. It is just a short trip.
12. There is hardly any traffic on the road where I drive.
13. I have a very safe vehicle with airbags and all that other stuff.
14. I would rather be thrown clear than be trapped in an accident.
15. I do not want to get my clothes wrinkled.
16. I am in a hurry and don’t have time to Buckle up.
17. I am claustrophobic.
18. I have a Doctor’s note.
19. I just don’t like wearing them.
20. I’m pregnant and don’t want to hurt the baby.
21. The seatbelt is broke.
22. They don’t use belts in school buses.
23. I have a medical problem.
24. Seat belt law??? Really!
25. The seatbelt snags my nipple piercings.
Often drivers are adamant that they have always been wearing their seatbelts during the whole time that they had been driving prior to being pulled over. My favorite story was of the lady who swore up and down that she only took off her seatbelt to get the papers for the officer before he arrived next to her car door. I told her that I did not really believe that excuse as I had been watching her especially for her seatbelt. As she tried to argue her point, I just opened her door and handed her the seatbelt buckle that had been hanging outside of the car and was wet with snow and ice.
As much as there can be many reasons for not wearing the seatbelt, these reasons are more like “excuses.” The safe money is that when you do wear seatbelts you will have a better chance of avoiding injury than if you did not make use of them. And of course it is better to avoid traffic tickets by choosing to “CLICK IT” as opposed to “TICKET.”
Gord Kowalchuk is a former police officer who served drivers and communities for over 27 years. Gord grew up living across the street from his father’s funeral home in a small rural community and has witnessed many sad situations. He is a volunteer with Mothers against Drunk Driving and has talked about his experiences to hundreds. He has a popular blog at http://MyTrafficTicketTips.com where he shares his strategies and tips of how to avoid traffic tickets, DUI / DWIs and other unfortunate situations.
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