The Home Warrior and I were driving to San Antonio to see his parents a few weeks ago, and were listening to one of my favorite NPR shows, Car Talk. One of the callers, who lived in New York, said that her significant other (boyfriend? husband? I don’t remember) refused to wear his seat belt while driving in the city. His rationale? He wanted to be able to slide over to the other seat should a car be about to hit him on the driver’s side. Uh, that is possibly the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. First of all, the likelihood of you having the superhero-fast reflexes to move out of the way if a car is coming are nil. Second, the possibility that you’ll get hit in another way (front, back, etc) is just as high as from the driver’s side–and you definitely want your seat belt on if you get hit from those directions! Third, what if you have a passenger?? Luckily the Car Talk guys agreed with me, so I didn’t have to write them a letter. For those of you who would like to listen to it, here is the link.
It was just so insane! Have you ever heard anything like this before? Goodness. Let’s be safe, people!
And to finish off the week with a few random thoughts…..
I love the Old Navy sweater that Lisa from Privilege posted over at Corporette for Frugal Friday. It’s $20, comes in a ton of colors, is nice and long, and is a great budget-friendly travel staple. The comments all say that it holds up pretty well, which makes the $20 seem like a steal.
Finally, ACL Festival starts today and I am SO EXCITED. I have a new favorite–Charles Bradley. Listening to him right now, he does soul in a way that makes you feel it. Very James Brown-esque, in the best possible way. I highly recommend you check him out.
hahahaha that’s about the dumbest thing i’ve ever heard. and unless you’re driving a really old vehicle from the early 80s, most cars these days have the gear shift in the center console rather than a bench seat in the front for “easy sliding” to the passenger side.
I am so ashamed..
I think you missed the obvious: if you did manage to slide to the other side, you would be slammed back into the driver side during the impact… unless you managed to fasten the seat belt on the passenger side.
(Not to mention, if you were hit on the passenger side you’d be slammed into the passenger and/or door, with absolutely no effort on your own part…)
I had an aquaintance in HS that would never wear a seatbelt. His reasoning was that his mother would be dead had she worn one, because she had been in a roll over accident into a ditch and the now-bottom of the car filled with water. Seems like Darwin failed us on that one…
I did this successfuly! On Easter Day 2000 i was in the back of a cab which was t-boned at 1st and 18th. I didn’t have a belt on, and jumped to the other side of the cab just in time! The car was smashed in about 18″ where I was sitting. Pure luck though, one in a million that it turned out this way.
Car Talk is such a great show!!!!
To be honest I thought it was commonly accepted that seat-belts are actually harmful in the case of side impacts.
Don’t think you are expected to leap out of the way (funny though the image is), more at least be able to be pushed away which cannot happen if you are strapped in tightly.
I’m afraid I’m with the lunatic on the phone, it’s not obvious whether seat-belt on or off is safer in busy low speed environments…
OK, so the guy is an idiot. Not wearing a seatbelt is illegal, to say nothing of stupid. Being, thinking-like and speaking like an idiot is a long-treasured Amerikan freedom. Sadly, knowing the difference is not required. Whether flying or driving, please buckle up. -C.
That’s right, the gy is idiot, hahahahaha