Wearing a seatbelt is a good thing

[Snowflake]

but it is too bad my roomate wasn't. She's in Mexico right now, on a 3 month vacation. On Saturday she was riding in the front seat of a cab, a friend was in the back. A speeding cab lost control when it hit a speed bump and hit them head on. My roomie, not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected through the windshield of the cab, half in and half out.

It is a major miracle she's alive and also that she has no broken bones. She does have some major cuts and muscular trauma. Her entire body is bruised and she had no idea so much blood would cover you from cuts on her forehead.

The hospital was a horror, welcome to Mexico! No gloves and nothing sterile, so she refused to let the 16 year old medical assistant stich her up. They said in the medical record she was a terribly uncooperative patient! Knowing her medical background, she worked in medicine for years, this is no surprise to me.

Fortunately, she has a good friend near the town where she is staying, and he has been an angel arranging many things. The doctor who tended her cab driver (in the hospital in Mexico City with two broken legs for starters) also lives in the town where she is, so he is visiting her daily. The hotel where she is staying is treating her like a queen. She had 3 presciptions and they went and picked them up for her, for the grand sum of $25. Nothing like that here!

She's wrapped up in ace bandages since the doctor is worried about blood clots, she's still bleeding inside apparently (not good). Heart is swollen from the trauma, but the doctor said it was sound and should be normal after about a week. We're talking every day, but with the meds she is on, she sounds very chipper as the drugs are good, and that's good.

A total miracle she survived. Whew!

Anyway, please wear your seatbelts! No matter where you're driving! I always do as a driver and rarely as a passenger, I will now!

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Since I learned to drive I've always worn a seatbelt and insisted that everyone else in my car do the same. My parents are still idiots in this regard - it's frustrating.

Hope your friend makes a full recovery.

[Not Afraid]

WOW! Thank GOD she is basically OK. What a place to be in an acident.

I always wear my seatbelt and, to my knowledge, have never driven passengers not wearing one. It's a good habit to have.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I too am a habitual seatbelt wearer. My dad never was, until he got a ticket. "I don't plan on getting into an accident, so why should I?" :rolleyes:

A friend of mine got into an accident on a scooter while visiting Bolivia in the middle of nowhere a few years back. Shattered her shoulder and her jaw. By some miracle, she and her sister managed to get to a hospital and she's made an amazing recovery. I wish the same for your friend.

[Strangler Lewis]

On Saturday she was riding in the front seat of a cab, a friend was in the back. A speeding cab lost control when it hit a speed bump and hit them head on. My roomie, not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected through the windshield of the cab, half in and half out.


Anyway, please wear your seatbelts! No matter where you're driving! I always do as a driver and rarely as a passenger, I will now!

I'm hoping your roommate wasn't wearing a seat belt because the cab, like so many in San Francisco, did not have one due to vandalism and not because she felt the laws of physics don't apply on Mexican vacations.

[Snowflake]

I'm hoping your roommate wasn't wearing a seat belt because the cab, like so many in San Francisco, did not have one due to vandalism and not because she felt the laws of physics don't apply on Mexican vacations.

No, she nevers wears a seatbelt. As a driver, yes, but never as a passenger. She will now, however, she told me so.

She's been my dearest friend since I was 18 years old and I'm really grateful she's going to be coming back so I can tell her so. She's a trial as a roomate cause I'm such a slob, so I guess I'll be a better roomie when she gets back! ;-)

[Alex]

I'll admit that I rarely wear seatbelts in cabs but otherwise always do. I remember very well the transition when I was a kid and my mom decided that from then on we would wear them.

[katiesue]

Seatbelts used to bother me. In fourth grade a kid in my class was killed from internal injuries caused by his seat belt (it was only a lap belt back in those days).

Once I learned to drive my parents gave me some story about your insurance not being valid if you wern't wearing one (not sure that this was in any way true) so I always made sure I was wearing one.

My best friend got ejected in a rollover accident and died from head trauma. No seatbelt. Her boyfriend who was driving had one on, only broke his arm. The couple in the back seat also wern't wearing belts and had all kinds of severe injuries. That was lesson enough for me.

Snowflake I'm glad your friend will be ok.

[Moonliner]

I grew up in an environment where "only your grandma wears a seatbelt" was the prevailing mentality. I'm still not great about remembering to belt up when I first start the car. Of course it's a different world for my kids. They've had seatbelts from day one and buckling up as soon as they get in the car is as natural as breathing.

In fact the one time I did NOT want my son (age 13) to wear a seatbelt he was anxious and uncomfortable without it. It bodes well for the future.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I grew up well before wearing seatbelts was law, though well after their presence was. I have always worn a seatbelt, and feel very naked in a car without one.

Of course, I also used to sit in the front seat with the shoulder belt behind me until I was tall enough that it didn't go across my face.

[Snowflake]

I was raised in a no-seat-belt environment. When I started driving, I wore one. When I had my only car accident (knock wood) nobody was hurt but my parent's Ford Granada and someone's front hedge. I was wearing a belt and I would have been injured had I not been. So, I've been religious about wearing a belt as a driver ever since. As I said before, I've been less dilligent as a passenger, but I'll learn this lesson vicariously from my roomie. Me+seatbelt=always

[Prudence]

Wow! Your roommate sure is lucky! Seatbelts were not optional in my family, so I'm used to it. I've ridden a few times in cars that didn't have them (like my dance buddy's Falcon) and it creeped me out.

[€uroMeinke]

I was going to say I always wear a seatbelt, but Alex reminded me, I seldom wear them in cabs - perhaps I will have to change that practice in the future...

[tracilicious]

It was scary on the Disney cruise because none of the cab vans even had seatbelts. The drivers were insane too.

So happy your friend is going to be ok, Snowflake! I wonder why she didn't get transfered to an American hospital?

[sleepyjeff]

Back in HS one of my best friends was driving his VW right in front of me when he lost control(yeah, we were going too fast) went up on two wheels, took out picket fence, then crashed into a tree. The car, well there wasn't much left of it after that but he was wearing his seat belt and walked away from the wreck with no injuries except to his underwear.

[Betty]

What do you guys think about riding in moter homes without seatbelts? i.e. kids in the back asleep on the bed.

We always wear seatbelts - ALWAYS- to the point that my husband and I have fought about him not wearing it until the kids (good kids) guilted him into it.

But they go on vacation with my parents and well, motor homes just aren't made for seatbelts at every seat... and the photos of them asleep on the bed while my dad was driving, although cute, alarmed me a bit.

What would you do if you were taking a vacation in a motor home?

[Alex]

We did a fair amount of travel in motor homes when I was a kid. Most of the time we were expected to sit in a regular seat if one was available and that meant wearing a seatbelt.

But if one wasn't available you didn't worry about it too much, and if there was something to do that required moving about, that was ok.

It is kind of like riding a bus. If there were seatbelts on Greyhounds I'd wear it but the lack of them isn't going to stop me (that's what the crazy drunk people are for).

[sleepyjeff]

What do you guys think about riding in moter homes without seatbelts? i.e. kids in the back asleep on the bed.



Hard one. I once was held up in traffic for 11 hours due to a Motor Home that caught fire while in motion; the adults who were not wearing seat belts escaped...two young children who were belted in did not.

but...

My Mom had a friend who lost a child in a motor home accident. The child was asleep in the cab-over bunk.

:(

[Gemini Cricket]

I can't ride without seat belts. It feels too wierd.

Amazing that she survived. Wow!

[mistyisjafo]

Wow, hopefully you're friend will get better soon. That's so scary.

I had a friend in high school who died because she wasn't wearing a seat belt. My other friend, who was in the car, still suffers from several live changing injuries due to that accident. It hasn't been pretty for her and it was over 20 years ago! Ever since then I wear my seatbelt religiously.

[Snowflake]

Well, my roomie is healing, but cranky. I don't blame her for being cranky, I'd be sitr crazy by now. She's still restricted to bed rest and is extemely uncomforatable as the body is healing for all the blunt force trauma of being banged all over and outside of the cab.

Turns out the other driver was a civilian (not cab as I had previously thought) and he was DUI. He was in jail and now is out and not to be found, big surprise there.

Hopefully she will be given orders being fit to fly home soon. Anyway, I'm still really worried for her.

[Frogberto]

I'm really sorry to hear about her accident. I hope this teaches her to always wear her seatbelt, and of course, I also hope that she is okay, and fully recovers from this incident. Thanks for reminding all of us also...!