Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Belting my RV husband

Dear Dr. R.V. Shrink:
We just started traveling in a Class A motorhome. I am so glad my husband talked me into bumping up from our Class C. I have this gigantic windshield of the world in front of me, as America unfolds before my eyes. We sit up so much higher and with the large side windows it almost seems we are in a fishbowl looking out.
My only complaint is I have to always nag my husband to wear his seatbelt. I am constantly telling him, “Click It, or Ticket.” He thinks he is at home in his La-Z-Boy. How can I impress on him that wearing his belt is not only a good idea, but a safety measure that everyone should follow?
--Tightening my belt in Anza-Borrego

Dear Anza:
It’s simple. Refuse to ride with him. He is not only endangering himself, but you and every other motorist you come across.
Just because you are one of the bigger vehicles on the road does not make you immune to catastrophe. Have him Google Images “motorhome accidents.” Maybe the shock value will help convince him. If things go “south” one day, it will happen in a flash. He especially should be belted in because he is manning the helm.
He will be in a much better position to control the motorhome if he is still in his seat, not up on the dash with his face pushed up against the windshield. Even without another vehicle involved, simply going off the shoulder can be a disaster if you are not belted in and do not study your driving options ahead of time.
Know what to do, and not to do, when you drop off the shoulder, blow a tire, or encounter a moose. The first and most important advantage in all these scenarios is having your seat belt on.
You could give him some old commercial advice. "It's not only a good idea, it's the LAW!"
You could also drive him nuts singing the old seat belt jingle over and over. Here are the words if you have forgotten.
Buckle up for safety, buckle up.
Buckle up for safety, always buckle up.
Show the world you care,
use it everywhere.
Buckle up for safety.
When you're driving
Buckle Up!


 Maybe you simply change your vocabulary to, “ Click it, or Stick it.”
--Keep Smilin’, Dr. R.V. Shrink

9 comments:

Merikay said...

In the 70's we rarely put on our seat belts unless we were on a long drive. Then my sister died because she wasn't wearing one very close to home, in an accident inwhich she was stopped at an intersection. Car or motorhome, ignoring the seatbelt is stupid. it only takes a second to click, or to die.

KarenInTheWoods said...

Yup.. I agree with Merikay! Besides.. she is so cute you can't argue with her! LOL

My daughter once was a passenger in a car and had the visor mirror down checking her makeup. NO belt. Another car hit them and she was hauled to the emergency room with a forehead gash that would not stop bleeding. She is lucky that is all that happened. She is now a FIRM believer of seat belts too..... She said just the thought of lifelong facial scars was enough for her 15 year old brain to realize such danger.

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Barb said...

I was hit in the passenger side of my car 40+ years ago - before everyone was wearing seat belts, and I didn't have mine clicked. I broke off the rear view mirror with my face, and ended up in the ER. From then on, I never drive without a seat belt on, and if someone in the car doesn't want to wear one, I don't start the car. If I'm a passenger, I'll get out. I don't want a flying passenger crashing into me after an impact. Hopefully nothing will happen to me again, but just in case, why risk it?

Bonnie Cuddihy said...

One of the first questions your insurance company will ask you is if you had your seat belt on and secured. Then they ask about distractions--food, pets, etc. When my 44 yr. old was a child, the car didn't move until the seat belts were on.

Unknown said...

I started driving semi in 1984, until then I did not believe in seatbelts. My first winter I witnessed an accident. The driver of a cab-over semi like mine went in the median. When his truck hit the opposite side of the ditch, the jolt threw him out the windshield in front of the still moving truck. It ran over him killing him instantly. I have been wearing seat belts every since.
I tell my passengers " Buckle-up, somebody loves you!".

Matt Colie said...

There is a little recognized value in seatbelts that everybody should be very aware of... It keeps the driver in the seat behind the steering and in control. What often happens in a collision situation is an unrestrained driver has to use the steering wheel to stay in the driver's position and not to control the vehicle. This can be real bad if that effort causes the driver to mis-steer and cause the vehicle to travel someplace it should not go.

What do I know? I processed data for NHTSA and worked in a crash lab for Detroit OEs.

Anonymous said...

I am a retired ER nurse. Before seat belts one of our "nursing chores" was picking glass out of faces with tweezers. Wear your seat belt!

Anonymous said...

I spent a little over 49 years working with the Auto Collision Industry as a tech, estimator, and teacher.

I will put this as gently as I can, if you do not wear seat belts and I mean everyone in the vehicle, you are dumb. I would describe what I have seen peoples bodies do in accidents but, will spare you the gore.

As a passenger you are risking your life also just so someone can be a jackass.

pz said...

I definitely agree with the idea of not being in a vehicle where the driver is not buckled up. No one who loves you should willingly put not only himself but everyone else at such risk. The man is a fool.