An Important Note About Wearing Your Seat Belts

[Zane]

This is from my good friend, Scott Settlemire. Scott used to be the Assistant Brand Manger for Camaro/Corvette and now is with Chevy Shows & Exibits.

 

Some may have heard that last week at an F-Body Gathering in Atlanta, 2 people died street racing.

Here are some of Scotts comments to the Chevrolet Enthusiast World.

 

Dear Firebird and Camaro Friends...........send it on to friends......and put it in your

newsletters if you feel it is appropriate to do so................

 

 

A whole bunch of people looked forward to this Memorial Day weekend ?many

of them spending it in Atlanta with fellow Fcar enthusiasts.

 

A few young men I'm sure were looking forward to driving in from the

Carolinas.

 

It was a great show?.hundreds of Firebirds and Camaros lovingly

maintained/restored/modified.  A great tour of GMMG.  Some great vendor

displays.  A Beach Party.  A weekend built around a way to remember our

veterans and those who gave their lives for our country.

 

But a tragedy happened early Sunday morning.

 

We (as well as most manufacturers) build performance cars.  We build them

with many, many safety features.  We try to anticipate human error.  But

some things can't be anticipated.  And it's especially hard to engineer for

bad judgement on the part of the driver.

 

We put safety belts in all of our cars and trucks.

No?we don't deserve a gold medal for this?it's the law?..a GOOD law.  It's

also the law in most states that you are supposed to put them on when you

get in the vehicle.  I guess we don't know whether or not the fellows in

the back seat of the Camaro SS on Windy Hill road would have survived had

they had put the belts on.

 

Windy Hill Road in suburban Atlanta has curves and elevations.  It has as I

recall, a 35 mph speed limit.  It was not designed for cars to travel at

twice or three times that speed.

 

In some ways, I guess I was fortunate.  I was in my hotel room.  It was

late?it was a long day???I had a great time meeting a lot of great people

and spending time with some old friends.  So I retired around 1 am and went

to sleep. I didn't have to witness the heartbreaking catastrophe firsthand.

 

I wasn't prepared to hear the news the next morning.  I -- as I'm sure many

others are -- am still in shock.  And I pray for the families and friends

of all involved.

 

I guess at this point in time, I can only hope that amidst this terrible,

terrible tragedy that perhaps those who attended the Gathering??.those of

you reading this??.and those who read the newspapers/websites and watched

TV will think twice before getting into a car or truck and not putting the

safety belt on ---PROPERLY --- each and every time.  Second:  If you want

to race, take it to the track guys and gals.  Or to the dyno.  (the dyno

doesn't involve driver error??.)

 

Simply put:  We know these cars are powerful.  I like burnouts as much as

the next guy or gal???but there is a time and place for that?..and it isn't

in a parking lot or on the street.  It's at the track under controlled

conditions.

 

I don't ever want to see a street race.  I don't ever want to see another

burnout in a parking lot.

 

And I don't EVER want to hear about one or more of my fellow

enthusiasts??who I care a great deal for??.. being killed in one of our

cars or trucks.  Is it avoidable?  I sure wish it were.

 

 

 

 

So how 'bout we make sure we 'stack the deck' in our favor?

 

How 'bout we make a commitment to each other RIGHT NOW??.that we pledge

never to street race ? ever????  (And I don't care HOW many other motorists

are egging you on??.)

 

How 'bout we make a commitment to each other RIGHT NOW that we will ALWAYS

wear a safety belt?and that goes for everyone in the car or truck with

us???????..

 

How 'bout we make a commitment to each other RIGHT NOW that we will tell

our loved ones how much they mean to us??.and that we DEMAND that they wear

a safety belt???.  Every time???no excuses.

 

(You think a safety belt is uncomfortable?  Well how about this statistic:

A 180 pound human being traveling in a car at 35 miles per hour that

strikes a solid object will create THIRTY SIX HUNDRED POUNDS OF FORCE.  Do

you want that 3,600 pounds of force to be dissipated by a safety belt or do

you want it dissipated by a steering wheel and windshield ? or the pavement

-----now?do you still think the seatbelt is uncomfortable???)

 

???? some of you may say "Scott?stop with the rant?it's inappropriate at

this time."  To you I say?" I care about you and my fellow enthusiasts and

friends and loved ones.  And I don't want to attend your funeral or see you

in a hospital due to an avoidable accident.  So if I'm being inappropriate,

it's because I care."

 

To the family and friends of those who lost their lives this weekend in

Atlanta:  You have my prayers.  I don't know that I or anyone else have the

words to console you other than to say how very deeply saddened and sorry I

am for your loss.  And many of us will be thinking of you for a lot longer

than you might imagine.

 

To the organizers (my very dear friends) of the Atlanta Fbody Gathering:

You have worked so long and so hard to put such a great event together.

This was not your fault.  People come from many states to enjoy the passion

that these cars generate. We are indebted to you for your hard work?and we

hope we'll be invited back again next year.  Thank you for your hospitality

? thank you for your friendship ? and thank you for all the good things you

do for the F-car community.

 

To the Associates at the Marriott Atlanta Northwest:  Thank you for your

kind understanding and for all you did to help everyone through this

weekend.  You are truly a class act.

 

In closing, Everyone:  Wear your safety belts.  No more street racing.  Put

the cell phone down when behind the wheel.  Practice safe driving habits.

If you're going to drink, don't drive.  No one should lose his or her life

needlessly. And remember?.every time you get behind the wheel?..YOU are in

charge.  Don't turn your vehicle into a lethal weapon.

 

Spread the word.

[k1500chevy97]

I see that kind of $hit too much

 

Buckle up .

Click it or ticket

[Black02Silverado]

Didn't click it or ticket just become a Federal thing and is nation wide now? I think I saw that on the new today.

 

It is second nature for me, but then being in the Air Force it was drilled into our heads from the beginning.

[99silveradoz71]

Well in my scattered posts over the last year or 2 I'm sure I've mentioned the wrecks I've had at work in the cruisers...and the fact that I walked away from every 1....why? Belted in. Mind you 1 of those wrecks was hitting a Civic or Cavalier dead center of the driver's door at 30-35. And another was as a passenger in a cruiser doing 40-45 until we hit a fence and 6 new Subaru's. And some may recall last month, I may have mentioned the vacation that got cut short due to my uncle dying in Phoenix...rolled the car and was partially ejected and ultimately passed away. Simple message- wear it. I've been fairly big on seatbelt pinches since I started with our PD 4 years ago, and each year, I just unfortunately find more reasons to reinforce that.

[Wingnut]

I only had to kiss one windshield to figure it out.

 

72 El Camino meets 88 Civic at 35mph....My truck may have creamed the snot out of that Honda....But I creamed the snot out of my head on the window.

 

That was 15 years ago, and I have not started a truck without the seatbelt on since.

 

Still miss that truck.

[melbertbloosfan]

Yesterday, I actually got on my riding mower and reached behind my left shoulder for the belt!!! Wifee laffed her a## off... I NEVER go anywhere w/o that belt on. Well, I do mow without one on....

[melbertbloosfan]

double post, my bad

[Firetiger(MN)]

I have zero problems with people using their seatbelt. I even use mine time to time. But what I do have a problem with is people (lawmakers) telling me to put it on. I can make that decision, thank you. No, I don't want to hear all the reasons why/what/where/who to wear one. It's my life, I'll make the decision. It in no way affects you if I have one on or not.

 

I'm tired of the govt. ordering me what to do and making decisions for me. This clickit or ticket promo is BS. Making it appear like its the law now when really they are bending the current law since it's not a primary offense in my state. Nice scare tactic and another reason to pull people over to see if they have been consuming alcohol over the holiday weekend. Don't you just love politics?

[Shadowfax]

I wear a seatbelt as second nature. And if it takes govt policy to make everyone to wear one I support it. I've gone thru heartache because some people I know have died because they weren't wearing theirs. I've been in 2 wrecks that werent my fault, but both times I didn't go thru the windsheild because I had my seat belt on.

[steppetoe]

Seatbelt use is second nature for me. My truck will not move until my girlfriend has hers on also. Anybody who doesn't buckle up must have a screw loose.

 

However, it is my decision to do this, not a government's or a cop's. If others are too stupid to buckle up, it should be their decision.

 

I know how horribly people can be hurt. I know about the costs involved in cleaning up after them, but this is supposed to be a FREE country. That means we are supposed to be FREE to live as we wish as long we don't endanger anybody else.

[Stepside Z]

Like the Air Force the Navy drives seatbelts into us also. I saw a movie in 1986 called room to live and I was convinced after that. Besides when you own a diesel there is nothing better to do while you are sitting there waiting for the wait to start light to go out.

[k1500chevy97]

Once again wear those seatbelts .

 

Today we had a run 4 teenagers (17-18) in a car run a stop sign of a rural road crossing the highway and got creamed by a logging truck (truck's speed was 60-65 mph ) none wear wearing their seatbelts 3 are dead and one is in critical condition .

The really bad part about this whole scenario is that they were supposed to graduate from High School tonight .

one of the worse accidents I have been on

I dont think seatbelts would have saved 2 of them but the third one would probally still be alive