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

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.

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...

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?

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.

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?

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).

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.

:(

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

Amazing that she survived. Wow!

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.