Test drive tragedy

Saw this in the local paper this AM. Goes to show if it is not safe (as in no seatbelts) don't go even go for a ride no matter how short. See link below
http://www.sbsun.com/breakingnews/ci_20998403

 

Sad story. You are right, but my take away from that is, if you are selling your rod to someone who may never have driven one (and they are all different no matter how they look), YOU do the driving.

 

Oh man, that's terrible. I know exactly where the accident happened on the -210. I pass by that area all the time.

I have to agree with your statement about seatbelts, Billybobdad. Every car has got to have them, no matter what. The older cars don't have the protection of the new ones and you need every bit of safety you can get.

 

I've been in two major accidents where if I had been wearing a seatbelt I would be dead.

 

Wow you were in two of the 8 per 100,000 where seat belts didn't help? I've been in one without belts where I was laid up 6 weeks and would have walked away unscratched if the truck had had seat belts.

 

My point is that there are no guarantees when the parts start flying. Which is not what the popular ideas put forth by the media would have you believe. After all, if you wear a seatbelt you will never die, right?

 

There are exceptions to the rule, I agree.

But (unfortunately) I have lost too many people who have either been flung from the vehicle to have it roll over them, or gone through the ws breaking them in half.

My first wife suffered severe injuries from a side collision in a jeep because the seatbelt held her in place and didnt give when she was hit. Pretty much crushed her hips/pelvis.

I still think seat belts are the way to go in teh bigger scheme of things.

 

Seatbelts have saved me and loved ones. The first thing I put in a car. It's a shame this happened. Sounds like the car was on a lot.. weird any lot would be selling a hotrod.

 

The comment section on that one is going to get ugly.

 

You should have bought some lottery tickets after getting out of that alive.

In a possibly totally irrelevant thought, I was at a cruise night last night and was looking at a "1927" T bucket, that was all glass, tube chassis, HUGE meats, wheelie bar, 2x4s, blown 454 chevy with zoomies... but when I look inside there are brake and gas pedals super close, about the size of a tablespoon each. I have no doubt that my size 12 would occupy the entire assembly at once.

Call me crazy, but we have to share a bit of the responsibility for keeping our cars safe for the street. I'm not saying that this was the case here, but it just reminded me of it.

Really terrible news though, prayers for the family and friends of the deceased.

 

The car you were looking is oe of the most unsafe cars out there ... Black and Orange tbucket a
nd no frt brakes ..wtf

 

Seat belts save more lives than causing a death.In Gregcons situation,you were very lucky.Hope you where seat belts.

 

Yes there are exceptions to every rule, but I knew far more people that would be alive today if they had worn their seat belts, than those who would be dead if they were belted in. A LOT more.

 

Hate all the "I'd be dead if I would have been wearing seat belt" stories I hear from people.

Countless times around here, in St Louis, you watch the news and hear about people being in fatal accidents. Then, toward the end, comes the "neither were wearing their seat belt" or "The driver wasn't wearing his seat belt and was killed when he was partially ejected. The passenger was wearing her seat belt and just suffered minor injuries."

I won't even back out of the driveway until we know everyone has a belt on.

 

Sad news. I have seat belts in my '31 coupe.

 

Them's the chances you take.

 

seatbelts like helmets should be up to the user`s personal choice

 

You stand a better chance of maintaining control during any "situation" if you're able to keep your hands on the wheel and your feet can reach the pedals... a seatbelt will allow this.

You also stand a better chance if your passengers bodies aren't slamming against you... seatbelts for passengers are also helpful.

 

The first time I drove a hotrod, was after I had put my money down. The previous owner did all the test driving before we finalized the deal. I was just fine with that, for exactly the reason you mentioned... I lacked the experience to be driving with a passenger.

 

The accident above, I walked away from with one cut on my head that was superficial.

I agree, your odds are better with a seatbelt. But, I just get tired of the media promoting their agenda at every opportunity. Of all the details they omit from the article, they never fail to drop the 'no seatbelt' angle. Do they look into whether or not the driver had any experience in drivng a hot rod? No. Do they mention the passenger seat was occupied by an oak tree and the passenger woulda been dead anyway? No. It's always the smug 'he was not wearing a seatbelt' bit - end of story.

There are two kinds of motorcycle death stories - they kind where they are very quick to point out the rider was not wearing a helmet, and the kind where they don't make any mention of helmet wearing at all. The second kind is the one where the rider died and had a helmet on.
It was not failure to buckle up that killed the guy - it was a few different layers of stupid that killed him.

 

Wearing your seat belt properly will dramatically increase your chance of surviving a motor vehicle crash.
A seatbelt helps keep:

• The driver behind the wheel and in control.
• Your head and body from hitting the inside of the vehicle.
• You inside the vehicle during a collision, which is better than being ejected through a windshield or door onto the roadway. Without a seatbelt, passengers become high-speed projectiles in a collision.

Although the air bag is a proven and effective safety device, it still doesn't replace a seat belt.

FACT: For every 1 per cent increase in seat belt usage,
five lives in Canada are saved, according to Transport Canada.​

People forget the first part.. you can't apply controls if you have been shunted into the passenger or back seat.

This info from Transport Canada and Alberta Motor Vehicles. In spite of that it does not just apply to hitting moose and swerving on ice flows.

 

Here's a great article on motorcycle helmet usage:

http://www.forbes.com/forbes-life-magazine/1999/0503/041.html

 

Possibly true, but an impact hard enough to do that much damage would likely have bounced her off something very hard had she not been wearing her seatbelt.

It's the old 'second impact' situation: when you're motoring along without a seatbelt, there's two separate masses moving at 50mph - the car, and you.

If the car hits something, or something hits the car and causes it to decelerate or change direction, you're going to do the old Newtonian-physics thing and continue on in the direction you were going until you hit some hard and/or sharp part of the car, and/or go out a door or window and hit something else.

 

As a professional driver,I've seen a car slam head on into a gaurd rail at 50 MPH (was knocked into it by a drunk or high driver) she walked away...shaken but unhurt.

I also see some horrific crashes in drag,NASCAR, and sprint racing where drivers walk away.

I'm taking my chances on the % of times they will help.....9o% help/10% maybe not? I'll take the 90 bet (whatever the percent)

 

Wow you come on here with this as your first post?

I go along with you if everybody that wants to drive around without helmets or seatbelts signs off on paying all medical costs resulting from injuries themselves. The general public tends to have to pick up the bill through increased premiums, etc.

 

Very few people understand how violent a collision/roll over can actually be, or the forces in effect when a car barrel rolls. The Saudi's have it down pat on killing themselves in drifting accidents.. It ain't pretty!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rcZRGSOXuY

 

Personal choice, but the remainder have to foot the bill if you become a vegetable and can't pay !!

 

This has absolutely nothing to do with the car not having seat belts. Chalk this one up to ignorance and stupidity. It's worldwide.

 

The other part of this could be that the car was poorly constructed (RR maybe??) that suffered a mechanical failure and did not belong on a street much less a freeway. Beware of what you are riding in/driving.

 

Was it really a 1926????