Drive carefully....and wear your seat belt....prayers up for a friend...

[AJMD429]

.
Lost a close friend today who went flying out the car for lack of a seat belt.

When do you get to a certain age you realize that you lose friends faster than you make new ones, and I'm getting kind of tired of going to friend's funerals....

His grandson was in the vehicle but will survive because of the seatbelt he was wearing. I pray that my friend didn't have a horrific fear as the wreck started to happen that a grandparent must really feel, worrying if the child will be okay. Hopefully he's in heaven now looking down and at least realizing that the young one is okay. I'm sure if he's seeing that, he's seeing a wife who is devastated and a bunch of us fellow old geezers who are just shaking their heads and disbelief at the loss of a friend.

People worry about so many things that are dangerous, but really take for granted the fact that pretty much every day most of us get in a car and drive someplace, and that's by far the most dangerous thing most of us will ever do in our lives. All it takes is one extra second of inattention, a few miles an hour faster than is ideal, a few feet closer to the person in front of you than is safe, or putting off getting new tires another couple months.

Out of respect and privacy I won't post a picture of the vehicle, but it was a beautiful early 60s Mustang he had restored into pristine condition. It won't help any that anytime his wife drives into town she's going to go right past where it happened.

[Grizz]

sorry for this loss . . . condolences for all who are hurting

[OldWin]

Sorry for your loss Doc. Too bad.

[gamekeeper]

Sorry to hear that Doc. As much as I dislike seat belts I know they have their place. My condolences to your friends family.

[GunnyMack]

Sad news Doc, sorry.

Returning from a gunshow we missed our turn off the turnpike. We hadn't realized it until it was way to late and continued on until the next exit. I knew that area and we started through the small PA town. Next thing we Tbone some nitwit that ran a stop ! We had our belts on, airbags deployed. I had the wind knocked out of me, center console in the ribs and my door was stuck. My buddy helped me out of the car. There in a field was the other car, a child crying and the driver was moaning. Rushing to the car the child was NOT in a car seat, unhurt - he needed a fresh diaper! The driver saw us and the first words were I don't have insurance. Her head was bleeding from smacking into the steering wheel.

I don't ever want to be in another accident without a seatbelt!

It was years before my buddy got his insurance settlement from her insurance company.

[Nath]

Sorry doc. Not good

[Bill in Oregon]

A sad reminder, doc. Sorry you lost another friend.
I always wear my seatbelt, but could use new tires. The risks of driving weigh on me when I drive these two-lane undivided Texas highways with a speed limit of 75.

[Pitchy]

Most of my young motorcycle life i fought against helmet laws, now that i`m older i wear one every time i ride.
I also wear a seat belt when i drive a car, when we are young we make some stupid decisions in everyday life from politics to safety.
I`ts a crazy world, i don`t know what my point is , i pray for your loss Doc.

[Ysabel Kid]

Sorry for your loss Doc. A great reminder to everyone. The car accident when I was 18, where I lost my spleen, was one of the "one-in-a-million" accidents where had I been wearing my seatbelt I would have been killed. The car that hit me ended up lodging in my drivers seat - and knocked me into the passenger seat. That said, I ALWAYS wear my seat belt. Figure the odds of having an accident where the seat belt doesn't protect me are... well, even higher than one in a million!

[AmBraCol]

I'm sorry to hear about your friend. It's hard losing folks that way.

My dad died of cancer because he wore a seatbelt. Otherwise he'd have died in one accident or another many years prior. We were taught from the beginning to strap in when we got in the car and the habit has held over the years. Back in college I got on my Honda CB 500 and reached for the seatbelt. Then it hit me - I didn't have my helmet on! I'd been driving the old Ford a lot more frequently than the bike at that time so was more used to strapping on the belt than the brain bucket.

I've been in one wreck where I wasn't wearing a seatbelt, that's one too many. I remember bouncing around the cab of that old farm pickup and can do without a repeat, thank you.