Embrace Life
06-25-2012, 04:22 PM
#27
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
To bump this back up. A family member was driving this Buick over the weekend when it left the roadway off an embankment. The seatbelt, front and side bag prevented him from any life threatening injuries. As a matter of fact, he crawled out and walked away.
Wear them.
06-25-2012, 10:44 PM
#30
MBWorld Fanatic!
Matt,
Glad your relative was ok. It's a sobering thought to see the results of an accident that could happen to any of us at any time regardless of how careful we are.
Ideally, we have two jobs in a car (other than to get where we're going): to drive in such a way that we don't cause an accident and to drive in such a way that we will not be in one. Thankfully, Mrs. NCMudbug is a master at both, but even with that, there situations that are unavoidable so it is just insane not to prepare as much as you can by wearing your seat belt.
Uh oh... I feel two stories coming on...
When I was a kid (early '60s), my dad was driving home from a party and rolled his Renault Dauphine (think French car that is smaller and flimsier than a VW bug) into a ball. Luckily, he and my mother were thrown clear of the accident and after a few days in the hospital, they were find. Till she died, my mother never liked seat belts and never understood that not only was she lucky, but that the situation with modern cars is completely different and you will be less lucky without your seat belt (I always made her wear hers with me, though).
The second story was that Dan Gurney's F1 Eagle (first and only US driver to win a GP in a US car - 1967) had a magnesium tub (chassis). He elected not to wear seat or shoulder belts of any kind when he raced it. The reason is that if he got a flat tire or in an accident where the tub scraped the ground, it would catch on fire and you cannot put out a magnesium fire. He wanted the best chance to get out of the car before it became a torch! Note to any who still don't wear a seat belt - your car is NOT made of magnesium! Wear it!
Glad your relative was ok. It's a sobering thought to see the results of an accident that could happen to any of us at any time regardless of how careful we are.
Ideally, we have two jobs in a car (other than to get where we're going): to drive in such a way that we don't cause an accident and to drive in such a way that we will not be in one. Thankfully, Mrs. NCMudbug is a master at both, but even with that, there situations that are unavoidable so it is just insane not to prepare as much as you can by wearing your seat belt.
Uh oh... I feel two stories coming on...
When I was a kid (early '60s), my dad was driving home from a party and rolled his Renault Dauphine (think French car that is smaller and flimsier than a VW bug) into a ball. Luckily, he and my mother were thrown clear of the accident and after a few days in the hospital, they were find. Till she died, my mother never liked seat belts and never understood that not only was she lucky, but that the situation with modern cars is completely different and you will be less lucky without your seat belt (I always made her wear hers with me, though).
The second story was that Dan Gurney's F1 Eagle (first and only US driver to win a GP in a US car - 1967) had a magnesium tub (chassis). He elected not to wear seat or shoulder belts of any kind when he raced it. The reason is that if he got a flat tire or in an accident where the tub scraped the ground, it would catch on fire and you cannot put out a magnesium fire. He wanted the best chance to get out of the car before it became a torch! Note to any who still don't wear a seat belt - your car is NOT made of magnesium! Wear it!
06-26-2012, 03:38 AM
#31
MBWorld Fanatic!
Safety features were a big part of my decision to go Mercedes, and I understand the point of that video, but am I only the one who finds it incredibly gay?
And I just mean the video not the message, so don't start ripping me about
not being for safety.
Almost as gay as those people suing the site that keeps times and statistics for bicyclists and it being there fault that he crashed and died.
It had nothing to do with his competence or incompetence, or riding to fast for conditions or the many factors that involved the decision making process of the rider. No,it's all a website's fault.
And I just mean the video not the message, so don't start ripping me about
not being for safety.
Almost as gay as those people suing the site that keeps times and statistics for bicyclists and it being there fault that he crashed and died.
It had nothing to do with his competence or incompetence, or riding to fast for conditions or the many factors that involved the decision making process of the rider. No,it's all a website's fault.
Last edited by C230 Sport Coup; 06-26-2012 at 03:42 AM.
06-26-2012, 11:05 AM
#32
MBWorld Fanatic!
Thread Starter
It is a game of odds no matter what. There have been times when a seatbelt has contributed to injuries or death, but the odds are overwhelming that it is more likely to save than harm you.
I take car safety seriously, too. I want as many safety features as possible. I never feel anything but secure in the W203, though it is a bit small.
I take car safety seriously, too. I want as many safety features as possible. I never feel anything but secure in the W203, though it is a bit small.
