I, too, play this game. It dings six times. If you hear all six dings, you lose. The tricky part is that you only have until the end of the 5th ding to get the seatbelt fastened. If you get it connected just as the 6th ding is starting, it makes you listen to the whole ding anyway (as punishment, presumably).
According to my driving instructor (many years ago) reversing a vehicle is one situation where you are legally (in the UK, at least) permitted to drive without a belt - if wearing it would restrict your ability to see properly.
And what will convince you? Running down an innocent pedestrian because your attention was diverted by putting on your seatbelt? Seems a very unnecessary risk to me. Just imagine the guilt if you hurt someone. Isn’t it just as easy to buckle up before setting off?
The reason I start the car before buckling up is that I’ve got the key in my hand when I get in. Where can I put it to get my hands free for the belt? In the ignition! Then it’s natural to start the car, and do the seat belt afterward.
The trouble with that is the stupid irritating seat belt alarm. I know it isn’t done up yet! Wouldn’t it make sense to tie the alarm to the transmission? The starter works that way, so it’s feasible. Either ring the bell when you put the car in gear with the belt undone, or lock it in Park until you’re done up.
Pennsylvania has the same campaign going on, although I do not see how anyone would get a ticket. I do not wear my seatbelt. Sorry, that’s just the way I am. The few times I have been pulled over since the seatbelt law went into effect, I just buckle up as I am pulling over. I’ve gotten a speeding ticket or two, but never a seatbelt violation. /hijack
Ye gods, the behaviour noted in the OP drives me batty as well. Luckily, my husband doesn’t do it; he buckles up before the car ever goes in motion as is intended. But my in-laws do it, my brother does it, and sometimes my mum gets in on the action. Drives me insane. They’ll drive a coupla miles before buckling up, sometimes.
Okay, okay, I give; I’ll do it. Good grief! I’ll change my ways. But only because I WANT to, dammit.
And by the way I have NEVER hit anything or anyone, never had an accident, and pride myself on driving that way—defensively. And I’ve probably driven as many miles as all of you put together. (Well that might be a slight exaggeration for effect.)
I feel naked in the car without my seatbelt on… so yeah, I put it on before the car moves.
Your teacher wanted you to fumble with a seatbelt while driving a moving car???
I don’t have any problem with starting the engine, then putting on the seatbelt. That still gives you the chance to get that car moving in an instant, without waiting for the seatbelt, if needed. You can even put it in gear, with foot on brake pedal, if you absolutely must. But doing something that requires you to take both hands, and possibly your eyes, away from controlling the car sounds completely irresponsible. I cannot believe a driving instructor told you to do that!!
My mother used to fumble with the seatbelt while attempting to drive. I suppose she thought she was doing well enough to even put the belt on at all - she never used to, even after my brother was hurt while driving w/o a belt. Scary as hell; she did this with me in the car on numerous occasions.
Again, might be UL, but I’m told that in places in Kansas (with stricter officers, and more traffic) the police will watch the motion of the people in the car for just such things, and if they see you buckling up, they can still ticket you. I don’t know if it would hold up in court or not. Kansas is pretty tough about seat belts, and has been for some time. Just a word of caution for anyone passing through.
Can you install a kill switch that you can controll in the passenger seat that won’t let him start the car?
Michigan has the same ‘click it or ticket’ campaign and a few times a year they announce they are specifically enforcing it. This past week there were ads everywhere and police set up sites where they would park and look specifically at cars going by just to see if people had seat belts on. I don’t know how they prove you didn’t have it on, they must just look to see the strap coming from the side, but they can and do give tickets based on their observations alone. They radio ahead to another car that pulls you over, or in some places pull you over themselves. They just announced their latest stats and said they caught over 200 people and ticketed 100% of them - no warnings - in my city. The only reason they pull you over is that you do not have a seat belt on. So if you drive in Michigan, be aware.
You can also use me as an example of someone who paid the price for not putting on a seat belt immediately. I was the passenger and not the driver, but my friend had just pulled out of a parking lot and got into an accident before I had put my seat belt on. She had hers on and suffered no injury, I was flung forward and hit the sun visor with my head, breaking the visor, before bouncing off the door and half onto the drivers seat and half on the floor. I was lucky to walk away with a goose egg on my head and some bruises. (Yes, the police officer that came wanted to give me a ticket for not having a seat belt on, I got off on sympathy factor alone I think as I held my bleeding head.)
Really if you think about it the times when you are pulling out of somewhere or backing up are risky and probably times when you are more likely to be in an accident than when you are safely going along with traffic, so it makes sense to have your seatbelt on right away.
I’m definitely with those who want to get the cars heating/cooling underway before buckling. And I agree that, since the key is in my hand (having unlocked my car to get in) the ignition is the most sensible place to put it to free my hands for buckling.
After buckling I will also move my hand to the shift lever and stare pointedly at my passenger if they have not buckled up yet.
<i>The vehicle is NOT going to be put into gear until all people are buckled in.</i>
I’m a “start the car, take it out of gear (I park it in first), find a radio station, adjust the AC, buckle up, release the parking brake, put it in gear, then go” person.
I have a rule that everyone in the car has to have a seatbelt on, or the car doesn’t go. I get some grumbles from the back seat, but tough shit, kids, put them on or I’m not driving.
I think she meant the instructor said start car, put belt on, then start moving car, not put belt on while driving.
My beef with my husband’s driving is his lack of shoulder-checking. His reason for not checking - “I know there’s nobody there.” My response? “That’s when you need to check the most - when you don’t think there’s someone there, and they are sitting in your blind spot.” He grudgingly conceded the point, then went on to nearly cream someone in his blind spot a few weeks ago. And he still doesn’t shoulder check regularly. I’ve started doing it for him, and if it bugs him, TFB, baby. I don’t understand why he does this, either - he’s a good driver in nearly all other ways.
(Here in Alberta, and all of Canada as far as I know, seatbelts are mandatory for front and back seat passengers.)
Yup. And putting on your seatbelt while the vehicle is in motion gets you an extra ticket where I live (Driving with Undue Care, I believe). The ticket for the seatbelt infraction alone is $184, and we have a zero-tolerance, no warning system. I suppose that’s a deal compared with Manitoba ($235 and 2 demerits).
Never had a ticket. Even if safety, my insurance and my car meant nothing to me, I couldn’t afford the fine. I’ve got better things to spend my money on.