Old cars and car seats (OT sort of)

[Norm's Coupe]

I don't think so... unless the crash is so severe that the front end of the car is crushed to the point that the frame is pushed several feet toward the firewall, which is far more unlikely than a typical 30 mph front end collision.

The force sustained by a driver in a 30mph crash without a seatbelt is about 12 tons, or 24,000 pounds. That is about 6 times the force sustained by a driver with a non-stretching seatbelt. And a 30 mph crash is a relatively slow speed crash. The numbers go up exponentially with speed.

There's no way I would drive my car without a shoulder seatbelt, as the steering wheel is a fixed shaft that will not give way in a collision. This means that in a 30mph collision, without a shoulder belt, your body will stike the wheel with a 24,000 pound whollup, and there is no way you are going to survive. The wheel will collapse, and the shaft will run right through your chest cavity.

With a seatbelt, you will walk away with a few bruises, and wonder where you are going to find a new grill and fenders for your ride.

It's easy to say that when it's your time to go, it's your time. But I'd bet your grandkids would want you to increase your odds...

I don't think the doors flying open in a crash has anything to do with a properly adjusted latch. It has everything to do with the body and jambs of the car deforming enough so that the latch sperates from the jamb, becoming unlatched. These cars weren't designed to have crumple zones, and the bodies will not stay in shape in a serious collision. The design of the latches does not securely and mechanically fasten the door to the jamb like modern latches do, they simply keep the door shut for normal driving. Then the jamb deforms, there is nothing to keep the latch attached to the jamb, and the door just swings open.

Pete

Pete,

Hate to disagree, but you can walk away from a 50 MPH crash without wearing a seat belt. I'm living upright proof of that. In February 1965 the cars stopped suddenly in front of me while doing about 50 MPH. I was driving a 64 Chevelle. I barely stopped myself before hitting the 59 Buick in front of me. The pickup truck behind me hardly stopped at all and he hit me doing about 50 MPH in the rear. That pushed my Chevelle into the back of the 59 Buick. Neither my first wife or myself had seat belts on at the time. I know I hit the steering wheel with my face just between the mouth and nose. I know that because I had to eat soup for about a week. Other than that I had a few bumps and scratches on my hands, and the hit to the mouth did knock me out for a couple of seconds. The wife was sitting on the dash board with her rear out the windshield. She only suffered 3 fractured ribs, a cut to the knee and foot. Had only about 7 stitches between those two cuts. Right after the accident I was afraid to move my wife and my door was jambed shut. I rolled down the window and climbed out that way. Her door was ajar and would not shut. I then walked around to the other side of the car where me and another person got my wife off the dash board onto the seat.

So..........like I said you can survive a 50 MPH crash and walk away with hardly any injuries not wearing a seat belt. Here's the front of the car. Wish I had a picture of the rear but it got lost over the years. The rear is shoved all the way up to the back window. I don't need to measure hypothetical numbers, I was there and did that.

[martybose]

Norm,

You can survive a wreck where you are hit from the rear, but not likely if you hit someone else who is stopped, which seems a much more likely scenario given the great brakes we are dealing with.

Marty, who survived a 65 MPH rearend wreck with no injuries ....

[Norm's Coupe]

Marty, after I got hit in the rear, I was pushed into that tank of a 59 Buick. As you can see the front of the car is smashed up too. Those Buick's were really tanks. I didn't even scratch that guys bumper and look at my car.

By the way, don't know if you guys can see the steering wheel on the Chevelle, but it's broken if you look close. That's how hard I hit that thing.

Anyway, like you said with the brakes on our 40's & 50's cars it's more likely you wouldn't be able to stop fast enough in today's traffic. That's why I put disc brakes on my coupe.

[Jims50chrysler]

Well like I said, my Grandkids will have seatbelts as I could not live with myself if I was responsible for injuring them or worse. I might even put seatbelts in the front of the car as well.....while I hate the fact that my freedom to choose as been taken away by our "capatalist" government the "practical" side of me sees the potential benifits.

I hope I don't get any more "practical" with age though...next I will be sleeping with a gun under my pillow Just in case... wearing condoms full time just to be safe.....circle the block before we pull into the driveway just to make sure no one is following:D

Jim

[blueskies]

...you can walk away from a 50 MPH crash without wearing a seat belt. I'm living upright proof of that...

No offense Norm' date=' but I think you are living proof that, with good luck, anything will do for brains :D:D.

I fit into the same catagory, but I'm trying to imrove my odds of living to a ripe old age, as often as I can. My kids will need someone to support in the lifestyle I can't afford... LOL

I think the reason you walked away from your specific crash, is that your car was able to absorb the impact by crushing the trunk up into the rear seat of the car on the primary impact, and able to absorb the remainder of the crash in the front end.

I don't think that your coupe would work to your advantage in the same way...

And I'm not sure why anyone would want to risk getting their teeth knocked out [i']again[/i], or worse.

Pete

[Don Coatney]

a ripe old age Pete

Alright Pete;

Define a ripe old age:confused:

Several of us (myself included) have lived to sixty plus years with lots of bumps and bruses. Am I ripe, or old, or both, or do I have to keep proving my self ripe, and old:confused:

This question has nothing to do with seatbelts....

[blueskies]

...I might even put seatbelts in the front of the car as well.....

Since the "crash" scenario is hypothetical anyway, here's another one to consider:

Say you are in a crash with your grandkids. They survive because you wisely installed seatbelts for them. But, since you didn't put the belts in for yourself, you die or are a vegetable for the rest of your life.

How do you think your grandkids will come away from the whole affair? Do you think they would be bothered by the experience of witnessing such an event? Do you think they will suffer from not having you as a terrific role model in their lives?

I've never understood the argument that folks will make their kids safe, but not themselves. As if it won't matter if they themselves aren't around anymore to take care of their families.

This happened to my wife at the age of 12, on a deserted road in the Nevada desert, in a one car rollover. Her mother died at the scene because she did not have a seatbelt on. Just imagine that for a few minutes, in eyes of the child survivor...

And then buckle up.

Pete

[blueskies]

Alright Pete;

Define a ripe old age:confused:

Several of us (myself included) have lived to sixty plus years with lots of bumps and bruses. Am I ripe, or old, or both, or do I have to keep proving my self ripe, and old:confused:

This question has nothing to do with seatbelts....

Actually Don, I was thinking of you as I typed "ripe old"... LOL

Kidding aside, I have great longevity in my genes, many of my great-grand parents and grandparents have lived into their nineties. I want to follow suite, and don't want some punk driver to take me out before my time.

My great grandfather, C.J. Taylor, was the Idaho Supreme Court Justice for decades. He lived till he was 95. He was born in 1892, saw transportation evolve from horses to space, and during my life always drove the biggest Cadillac he could find. Don't think he ever wore a seatbelt though...

Pete

[Don Coatney]

Actually Don, I was thinking of you as I typed "ripe old"... LOL

Pete

Pete;

I now know you must be ripe young as I was thinking of you as I typed this:D

My father was born in 1902. He also saw transportation evolve from horse drawn vehicles and then go all the way to the moon. When I was born Steam powered trains were still in use. What will be the next step my generation will see???

[blueskies]

What will be the next step my generation will see???

I don't know Don, that might be it for your generation... LOL

With politics they way they are, I don't think anything is going to change for a long time... except the increase in record profits by the oil companies associated with the increase in the cost of fuel at the pump.

Pete

[Don Coatney]

I don't know Don, that might be it for your generation... LOL

Pete

Guess that is good news:confused: I now have "it" to look forward to:cool: