Seat Belts !

I am not sure of the history of seat belts, but I will write of the history of seat belts for me. It has been a long and changing road and has had a drastic impact on my life.

Being a teen in the 1970's it was common practice to question government control, at that time seat belt use in cars was an option and for most of us and option we didn't use. It wasn't cool to use seat belts. Nerds used seat belts, those kids with those funny glasses and the pocket protectors.

I was one of the cool kids, a motor-head, I liked fast cars, fast bikes and racing. One of my first cars was a 69 Firebird muscle car. I also like to flat track race bikes and had a BSA 500. I had a need for speed, street racing or cruising on Friday nights and flat track racing on Saturdays. When cruising you had to be ready to jump out of your car at a moments notice if you saw a hot girl or a fight on a corner, and seat belts would only slow you down.

Well the 70's passed and either luck was on my side, or I was a really good driver, because all of the cruising, street racing, flat tracking and just all the driving I did in general, I never got into an accident. The 80's started and government took a bit more control in car safety and started passing laws about car seats and children. Well the 70's rebellious attitude in me came out, and questioning government control, I thought that the government was in cahoots with the car seat manufacturers and this was just a ploy to sell more car seats. But having no children yet, it did not matter to me.

By 1988 I had my first child, and I am not sure if it was first time fatherhood, or the fact that I had already had an uncle and a first wife killed by drunk drivers, but my attitude towards car seats had changed. My new baby had one waiting for her before she was even born. Now seat belts were a different story, they were still a pain in the ass, I still did not use them because now the new cars had shoulder restraints, not like the cars from the 70's that just had waist restraints.

In 1990 I had my second child and just like my first, he had a car seat waiting for him before he was born, by that time hospitals would not allow you to take your child home if it was not being placed in a car seat. I could not imagine anyone trying to leave without a car seat, but I also could not imagine a hospital telling you that you could not take your own child home if you did not have one.

As the 90's progressed government continued to get involved in car safety and passed laws involving seat belts. Most states were passing seat belt laws. But most states law read that a cop could not stop you for just a seat belt violation, they had to stop you for something else, but could write you for a seat belt violation after the initial stop. My old 70's rebellious attitude reared up, I thought "HOW DARE THEY" how dare they try to control what I do in the privacy of my own vehicle. Next they will try to pass laws about what I can and can't do inside my own house. So I still refused to use seat belts, even tough they passed laws stating that I had to.

Then in 1998 my third and last child was born, and as with the others she had a beautiful new car seat waiting for her before she was born. But the older two were now at a point where they started asking questions. Like "Why do we have to use seat belts, Daddy doesn't?", so with great reluctance I put aside my pride, to become a good example for my children. I became the responsible daddy, and started using seat belts. It was hard at first. Sometimes I needed to be reminded and it took almost a year, but it soon became habit and I clicked up before I started up. Me the ultimate rebel, the cruiser, the street racer, now a responsible joe, a good citizen obeying the seat belt law.

Now the Tuesday after Labor Day in 2000 I was driving to work. It was 05:30 in the morning and dawn had not even started, I was cruising down a 4 lane highway at the speed limit of 65 minding my own business. My mind was on the day ahead and thankfully a short week because Monday had been a holiday. I was coming up on a cross over, which I had passed 100's of times before. When out of no where a guy coming up the north bound side, cut across the cross over, blew through the stop sign, and hit me in the drivers side rear of my blazer.

The impact flipped my blazer upside down on the roof, and sent it sliding down the highway skidding and grinding with sparks flying all around. When I felt the impact and the vehicle flipping, instinct took over and I laid myself towards the arm rest. After 24 years of driving, many years street racing, all of the flat track racing this was my very first accident. What probably only took about 3-4 minutes felt like it took hours. I thought that this was it. Memories of my life passed by, things that I had done, things that I hadn't done. Memories of things I would not get to see, graduations, and weddings of my children, births of grandchildren. Regrets, my whole family had been asleep when I left this morning, so I did not even get the chance to say goodbye.

Finally my blazer stopped sliding and came to rest. Oh my God, I was still alive, but I was till inside the blazer. UPSIDE DOWN!!!! I started to smell all types of fluids, gasoline, oil, antifreeze and I remembered while I was sliding all the sparks from the metal on the road surface. I have to get out of this thing NOW!! I reached down to unhook the seat belt, IT WAS JAMED, stuck, it would not come undone. I was trapped by the seat belt. DAMN this thing I knew I shouldn't have started wearing them, this vehicle is going to catch on fire an I can't get out because of the seat belt. Thinking quickly I reach into my pocket and get out my knife and cut myself free. The only way out is through the window of the passenger side door, so I crawl through.

Once out on the Highway I stagger over to the median strip and I see a guy running down the highway, he is yelling something, finally when he is close enough I hear him "Is anyone alive in that thing", when I tell him that I was the only one in the car, he just stops dead with his mouth hanging wide open. It is almost 6am now and the sun is just about to start breaking dawn, and I get to look over at he carnage I survived.

Nestled up against the guard rail on its roof is what is left of my beautiful blazer. Before the accident it was a 4-door mint condition 1994 red blazer with the tire rack on the back. Now I look over at a mangled mess, the drivers side rear and the drivers side rear passenger door are gone completely missing. The engine compartment and drivers side front end are smashed in from the impact with the road, the roof is smashed in even with the head rests of the seats. The only visible tell tale signs that this once might have been a blazer is on the passenger side, which only has the glass imploded from the impact and some scraps down the side from rubbing the guard rail. Looking up the highway I see bits and pieces of my poor blazer scattered all over the highway. Now I understand why the guy running towards me just stopped and stared with his mouth hanging open, when I told him I was the only one in the vehicle. Because the only signs I have that I was in an accident was a few cuts and scraps on my forehead from being pelted with flying glass.

Actually my couple 100 yard slide down the highway probably saved my life, because after the guy hit me, the 5 other cars that were behind me in the south bound lane hit him, so my little slide down the highway sent me away from a multi-car pile up. Also the other fact that saved my life was the I WAS WEARING THE SEAT BELT. If I was not wearing he seat belt I would have most probably been ejected from the missing door or quarter panel, and sent out onto the highway.

It has been 7 years now since that accident, and I have not been in another. Hopefully I will not be in one like that ever again. One like that is enough for one lifetime. I still use my seat belts every time I drive, I still carry a pocket knife incase I ever have to cut myself free again, but I will always use my seat belts.

So I am not sure what the exact history of the seat belt is, but the history of the seat belt for me has been an ever changing one. Starting out with a mind set of "I'm too cool to use them" to one of "The government can't force me to use them" to one of "I'll never pull out with out having them on". It is amazing how ones opinion can change over time.

Seat belts do save lives and I am walking, talking proof of it!!

Something to think about !!

Just one man's opinion. As always, put the wind in your hair and keep the sun to your back. Be good and stay safe. Peace, Love and prosperity to all.

Frank WOLF watchdog taking a BITE out of corruption!