Seat Belts: What's the Problem?

[Luv2play]

It appears now that Gov. John Corzine of New Jersey was not wearing his seatbelt as he was being driven to a meeting at Rutgers University with the women's basketball team which are the subject of the Don Imus scandal. What is it with people that they can climb into a two ton metal machine and rocket along freeways without the simple expedient of buckling up? Did Princess Diana's death leave no impression on them? To say nothing of the thousands each year who die needlessly because of such a simple reason.

 

It is all the more shocking that a lawmaker at such a senior level would knowingly flout the law which the state trooper, who was driving him, should have enforced. One assumes someone like President Bush never uses his seatbelt in the presidential limo but then, who would ever get the chance to drive into him?! :o

[Bilbo]

Maverick has a habit that bugs me. He'll fasten his safety belt, but he keeps his cell phone in a holster on his waist. So, to answer it, he has to take his seatbelt off. Then wait for either being off the phone or a time when he can hold his phone in the other hand while he refastens the belt.

He always insists upon driving. But I find myself not really worried about myself or the car, but the man that I love, eh?

[Guest zipperzone]

>It appears now that Gov. John Corzine of New Jersey was not

>wearing his seatbelt as he was being driven to a meeting at

>Rutgers University with the women's basketball team which are

>the subject of the Don Imus scandal. What is it with people

>that they can climb into a two ton metal machine and rocket

>along freeways without the simple expedient of buckling up?

 

Inconvenient rules only apply to little people like you and I. The great mucky-mucks don't have to pay attention to them - or so they think.

 

>One assumes someone

>like President Bush never uses his seatbelt in the

>presidential limo but then, who would ever get the chance to

>drive into him?! :o

 

But then again, would anyone really give a shit if he was killed in a car crash? Oops...... that would make Cheney the pres, right? Well scratch that!

[Luv2play]

Well, here's a weird aspect to the Corzine accident; he is the third New Jersy Governor in a row to break a leg while in office. His predecessors James McGreevey broke his on a beach and Christie Whitman skiing in Switzerland. It gives a new meaning to "break a leg", which is the traditional best wishes for an actor prior to a performance on the stage. Maybe they should incorporate it in the oath of office! :7

[Guest n2colour]

New Jersey has a fool for a governor. Nothing new, I know, but....) I agree, the trooper should have insisted he buckle up.

[+ purplekow]

Did Princess Diana's death leave no impression on them?

 

No but I believe the dashboard left an impression on her.

 

Too soon?

 

 

I have never seen a purplekow;

I never hope to see one;

I can tell you anyhow;

I'd rather see than be one

 

Help there is a purplekow in my mirror

[Guest jeffOH]

I was in an accident this past Nov. in which my beloved Pontiac Firebird was totalled. Some girl ran a red light and T-Boned me, my head hit the side window, I slammed on the brakes and ran up onto the curb. I didn't have my seatbelt on at the time. I was justifying not using it because the shoulder-strap holder had broken off so it was riding up to my neck. Fortunately, I just got a bump on the head. Her insurance paid up and I got a VW Jetta. Much more practical/safer than the Firebird and I'm nearly paranoid about my seatbelt use these days. Buckle Up! :-)

[Guest ncm2169]

< New Jersey has a fool for a governor. Nothing new, I know, but....

 

Pray tell, enlighten those us from the hinterlands. What is it that makes him a fool?

[Guest zipperzone]

>Did Princess Diana's death leave no impression on them?

>

>No but I believe the dashboard left an impression on her.

>

Impossible - she was in the back seat. If the dashboard left an impression on anyone it was the driver and the body guard, both of whom were in the front seat.

[Luv2play]

You're right. Diana was found crouched in the back seat compartment of the Mercedes, which was relatively intact, facing backwards and there wasn't a scratch on her. Her injuries were internal from being violently wrenched when the car hit the pillar and spun around, tearing her pulmonary vein. Had she been belted in, she would undoubtedly have survived. Tests were subsequently carried out that showed the gravitational forces exerted on her body were 70 g's but these would have been reduced to 35 g's with a seat belt, still severe but survivable.

 

If you're going to be in an accident, it's almost always better to be wearing a seat belt. There are the freaky exceptions, of course, but the rule applies 99% of the time.

[Luv2play]

Maybe the fact that New Jersey has failed to fully fund its public pension plan and now faces an $85 billion deficit to future retirees such as teachers and firemen. Although to be fair, Corzine publically spoke out about this whereas his predecessors didn't. Being the former head of Goldman, Sachs probably gave him some insight into the world of high finance, something that is sometimes lacking in Governors' offices around the land. x(

[Samai139]

I agree with the poster who said that people "with power" or who are in powerful positions feel they do NOT have to follow the basic rules of life. Don't give me excuses---cell phones, broken straps, messing up clothes, discomfort, forgetfulness, there are airbags, bodyguards, good drivers, ete., etc.

Accidents happen and they happen when you least expect them.

Was the governor at fault for not buckling up? Absolutely. Was the trooper at fault for not telling (notice I said TELL, not ASK) him to buckle up? Absolutely. No excueses, they screwed up and need to admit it.

So what's the problem? Too late to ask that question for Corzine.

For the rest of us---whenever you get into a vehicle, buckle your ass in and make sure everyone else does the same.

I suspect someone will write that they know about a passenger and/or driver who drowned or burnt in an accident because they were wearing a seatbelt. Sure that happens, but not nearly as often as being killed or seriously injured if you are NOT buckled up.

I'll take my chances and if you want to ride with me, so will you.

[Guest skrubber]

>New Jersey has a fool for a governor. Nothing new, I know,

>but....) I agree, the trooper should have insisted he buckle

>up.

Yes, we do have a fool for a governor here in NJ. Not only a fool, but also a liar, a hypocrite and an asshole. Nuff said.

[+ purplekow]

>>New Jersey has a fool for a governor. Nothing new, I know,

>>but....) I agree, the trooper should have insisted he buckle

>>up.

>Yes, we do have a fool for a governor here in NJ. Not only a

>fool, but also a liar, a hypocrite and an asshole. Nuff said.

 

 

Oh is Christie Whitman filling in while Corzine is incapacitated.

 

I have never seen a purplekow;

I never hope to see one;

I can tell you anyhow;

I'd rather see than be one

 

Help there is a purplekow in my mirror

[Bilbo]

Say what I will about Maverick, he did make sure that his car has side air bags, as well as in the front.

[Luv2play]

I understand from the news reports that the airbags in Gov. Corzine's SUV did not deploy. Possibly this is because they hit a guardrail and perhaps that was not sufficient force to trigger the bags. This is all congecture on my part but I have to wonder why those bags did not activate.

 

I once had an accident on a snow covered road with a van that I had rented to move some cottage furniture; I sideswiped a car after losing control and ended up in the ditch. Luckily I was going only about 30mph and no-one was hurt. I was especially grateful that the airbags deployed because my Labrador dog was sitting on the front passenger seat and the bag saved her from any injury. Obviously she did not have her seat belt on!!! My bad!!! :o

[Luv2play]

I should add the best part of this story. A very hunky French Canadian policeman drove me and my dog to the nearest town to get another van and he was driving about 65mph on those same roads. I held my breath but my dog, being the affectionate type, stood on the console between the two seats of the cruiser and licked his ear. He seemed to enjoy it!!! I would have too (that is, licking his ear!!) }(

[Guest PWIT]

>I understand from the news reports that the airbags in Gov.

>Corzine's SUV did not deploy. Possibly this is because they

>hit a guardrail and perhaps that was not sufficient force to

>trigger the bags. This is all congecture on my part but I have

>to wonder why those bags did not activate.

 

I think the target impact speed for airbags is 35mph. So maybe SUV wasn't going that fast when they hit the guardrail. From pics on TV, SUV doesn't look damaged too bad.

 

Still, even if it was 30 mph - a projectile (unbuckled body) hitting the front of the passenger compartment will do a lot of damage.

[Guest n2colour]

I hear she's alternating days with Jim Florio & Jim McGreevey. The more fools the merrier.

[Guest n2colour]

#1 reason has to be almost dying because he's too stupid to wear a seat belt.

 

#2 reason has to be he is the governor of New Jersey.

 

#3 reason is spending about $100,000,000 of his own money in two elections. (He could be President-for-life of a small country for less and get it all back plus interest in U.S. foreign aid, which he could deposit in a Swiss bank account and take with him when he got tired of the place.)

 

#4 reason is the real reason I said that: the list of prior inhabitants of the seat is not exactly what one would call "distinguished." ;-)

[Luv2play]

During one of the early press conferences, a spokesman said the vehicle was travelling at highway speed but nothing excessive. That would suggest at least 60mph. Still, apparently aside from being sideswiped, the only thing they came into collision with was the guardrail which pierced the passenger compartment. In any event an airbag may not have helped Corzine as he was thrown into the back seat, not into the windshield.

[Guest PWIT]

>During one of the early press conferences, a spokesman said

>the vehicle was travelling at highway speed but nothing

>excessive. That would suggest at least 60mph. Still,

>apparently aside from being sideswiped, the only thing they

>came into collision with was the guardrail which pierced the

>passenger compartment. In any event an airbag may not have

>helped Corzine as he was thrown into the back seat, not into

>the windshield.

 

That makes sense. An impact other than the front of the vehicle would not cause the front airbags to go off. Ending up someplace other than the front of the vehicle also implies an impact somewhere other than the front. Thanks for the info Luv.

[ValleyDwellerNorth]

John Corzine is still a human being who is in the hospital in critical condition. I wish him a speedy recovery with no long-term lasting effects from this horrific accident.

 

Yes, he should have had a seatbelt on. Yes, he was wrong and deserves a ticket. However, the NY Post was EXTREMELY tacky in putting his head on a crash test dummy's body and putting that "artwork" on their cover. He has a family.

 

His seatbelt should have been on .. NO excuses. But with the damnations on this thread, in the print media and on some TV shows, people seem to forget he was critically injured. I wish him, and his family, all the best.

[Guest zipperzone]

>During one of the early press conferences, a spokesman said

>the vehicle was travelling at highway speed but nothing

>excessive. That would suggest at least 60mph. Still,

>apparently aside from being sideswiped, the only thing they

>came into collision with was the guardrail which pierced the

>passenger compartment. In any event an airbag may not have

>helped Corzine as he was thrown into the back seat, not into

>the windshield.

 

It probably would have helped if the SUV had been equiped woth side curtain airbags.

[Luv2play]

I agree with you that John Corzine is a human being and deserves our sympathy and wishes for a speedy recovery. However, that being said, one's sympathy is tempered by the fact that he took an unnecessary risk with his safety and suffered the consequences.

 

The cases that elicit my unreserved sympathy are those innocent victims such as the victims of drunk drivers who have no business being on the road. Or someone such as that woman who was killed in a rear-end collision by that singer in her SUV who was not paying attention. These victims have absolutely no responsibility for their fate other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And that could happen to any of us. :-(