Safety Issues with Seat Belt Article in Current MAN.

[Flathead]

Even when you think you may be safe you never know what might happen. Look at the scandal with Takata air bags. My Honda was recalled over this. I don't have belts in my A and I don't plan to ever have them. The entire Model A is not a safe vehicle in todays terms. I am willing to love it for what it is and take my chances. When I was younger I totalled two different 55 Chevys and walked away. One was a tree, my fault, the other was a Buick, his fault, and I got the check to prove it. I have given up driving 55 Chevys. The A suits me fine.

[Mitch//pa]

Originally Posted by Fred K-OR

Mitch, was that his wife or some other passenger?

Fred
It's a woman's car and she is mainly the driver, but other family members drive it also

[MrBruce]

We are going to start making some major trips in the next few years and I am putting them in just to keep my wife and I with the car. We had a couple in our club who were hit and the wife was thrown out of the car and the driver ended up in the passenger set. Fortunately they both survived. If our 31 S/W Town Sedan gets hit, the doors will fly open. I figure if we can stay with the car we have a chance in a small accident. I know a lot of people are against putting them in. But todays traffic is not like it was in the 30's

[Synchro909]

Originally Posted by Midnightcaper

If he car didn't come with belts then it stays belt less. Personally when u turn 18 I think it should be your choice just like helmets, your a adult its your life decisions.

When seat belts were made compulsory here in about the late 60's, some used that "It's my right to choose" argument, to which I replied, "Then it must be my right to refuse to pay my taxes that would pay for your hospital treatment."
I never had anybody come up with a worthwhile response.

[Bill in SoCal]

When advising people of the dangers of riding in your Model A, don't forget to have then sign a waiver of liability (your state may require it to be notarized). With any luck, it won't get burned-up in the crash. Bill

[31 Model A]

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Originally Posted by Bill in SoCal

When advising people of the dangers of riding in your Model A, don't forget to have then sign a waiver of liability (your state may require it to be notarized). With any luck, it won't get burned-up in the crash. Bill

I call it concern for the life of a person, like it's up to me, it's up to them also and it's called common courtesy, required by a conscience, not required by state law.

[ronn]

"Michigan repealed the mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists several years ago, and the annual rate fatality from motorcycle accidents has quadrupled since. That statistic doesn't seem to change some people's minds though. "

But possibly the number of quad and paraplegics went down along with spinal injuries, therefore reducing mandated costs to all others.............?
If you're dead, the costs are fixed and not ongoing for a lifetime.

[John Stone]

I was going to write an article for the A400 group about how I installed the seat belts. You guys have just demonstrated why I didn't do it. Too much liability.

[Midnightcaper]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

When seat belts were made compulsory here in about the late 60's, some used that "It's my right to choose" argument, to which I replied, "Then it must be my right to refuse to pay my taxes that would pay for your hospital treatment."
I never had anybody come up with a worthwhile response.

You can refuse to pay your taxes... Like i said your life decisions.

[Terry, NJ]

I'm still going to install them in the rumble seat of my coupes for my grandkids. The rumble seats seem like the most unsafe thing about the cars of that vintage.
Terry

[31 Model A]

Originally Posted by Terry, NJ

I'm still going to install them in the rumble seat of my coupes for my grandkids. The rumble seats seem like the most unsafe thing about the cars of that vintage.
Terry

When it comes to kids in the rumble, they are the right height for their upper body to be thrown FWD and busting their heads open of the top opening when strapped in with a belt.
When it comes down to it, on today's roads, drive defensive because it's the other idiots that are dangerous and no matter how many precautions you take in an A, they don't care.

[todd3131]

I understand why the professionals will not install belts it is a matter of liability but a model a owner without them is a fool case in point, my son was in a car seat with a freshly installed belt but I and my wife didnt, we were hit in the right front it, bent the frame a foot to the left pulled the cowl down and she went out the door between the cars. She spent ten days in the hospital and the next two months learning to walk again. When I restored it again I ran a half inch flat stock to the frame body bolts to anchor them. All this talk of body bolts shearing is senseless if the car is hit hard enough to break them you will have much larger issues to deal with and most likely the occupants won't have to worry about anything anymore.

From personal experience if I had had anything in there for a belt it would have been better than nothing.

[mhsprecher]

Les Andrews has an article on installing belts in one of his books. Juliano's has instructions for belt installations and sells hardware for them in their catalogs. Many vendors sell them. I suspect if there were liability issues, none of them would sell them or write articles about their installation. I suspect MARC researched potential liability before publishing the article.

Installed seatbelts in my 28 roadster and my 39 sedan (shoulder harnesses). I would not drive without them.

[springerpete]

The main purpose of this Forum is education thru sharing of thoughts. Like " what oil should I use ", the seat belt question, tho' more serious, will produce the same enormous number of responses. Remember Jimminy Cricket? Let your conscience be your guide.

[My1930ModelA]

How would an article about installing seat belts be any different than an article on how to rebuild brakes? Taken to the extreme, we should not perform any work on our cars ourselves, but have everything done at a shop that carries liability insurance.

[sphanna]

I do not call my CINCH belts seat belts. My A did not have factory seat belts. The only way to have seat belts in a car produced without seat belts is to have them engineered snd certified by some gov. athourity. Therefore I do not have seat belts and as such, I am not required to use my cinch belts or I can use them. My choice. Seat belts are either legal or do not fit the legal definition of seat belts. I do use them on tours because my "cinch belts" are a whole lot better than nothing to help hold me in position in a minor accident.

[Bruce Adams]

Gee ! Where does it end ?
We am driving with ten gallons of gas in our lap, the steering post is constantly aiming at our chest or head, the brakes were designed eighty years ago, the doors are ready to pop open in a bump, the stock taillites can't be seen until the crash, the headlights do not hold a candle to modern ones, the steering was developed one hundred years ago, the tires are one-fourth the width of my Mustang, and the safety belts do not meet DOT standards, but these things do not stop us from enjoying this great automobile.

[sphanna]

My sister once fell out of a car when the door flew open while going around a corner. Even just a rope would have prevented that so sometimes even a little thing can make a difference. Also notice the last 2 words of my post are "minor accident".

Isn't it wonderful to live where we still have some freedom of choice? I found some merit in all the comments.

[SkimmerBob]

I have always hated the seat belt law. Michigan implemented the law in 85 I think , I feel its up to you to decide if you want to wear one. I would argue "whats next helmets in cars? The women will go crazy , it will mess up their hair!" A recent incident has changed my mind. a son picked up his mother after her work shift. He is driving on I-75 and hits a patch of "black ice" then hits the center cement median. He is belted she is not, he walked away she didn't survive. I don't know why but this has made me wear my seat belt all the time now.

[Fred K-OR]

You open your front door of you house and hit the neighbor kid in the head with it and that neighbor could turn around and sue for cruel and inhuman treatment of his kid.

So at all times we face these current problems of society. So why not enjoy our cars the way they are and drive carefully and hope for the best.