[Dick Carne]

I suppose that either position could be argued, but both of my "running" Model A's are open cars, so I would tend to agree with Alan above in those instances, namely that I would prefer to be ejected from the car rather than being stapped down or in, and in the event of a possible overturning of the car, be subjected to the possibility of being crushed in that event. While I think most all of us have adoped something of a defensive driving posture when taking these cars out, the "common sense" aspect of this incident underscores the essential requirement to be sensible when making the decision to drive in anything less than reasonable conditions. And while I would consider my cars to be fairly well restored, I also recognize that the engineering limitations of these cars is no where close to those automobiles being currently produced, suggesting yet again the needs to both drive more defensively and to consider less than optimum driving conditions before choosing to venture out. These are just my opinions, but again, I echo the sentiment that the matter of seat belts should be left to individual discretion, and hopefully not mandated by either state or federal governments. Perhaps most importantly, I pray for the recovery of those injured in this mishap, and trust that the rest of us may learn from this tragedy.

Dick