So I got rearended yesterday....

[CastIron]

There's a lot of good ideas and opinions on here. I'm definitely going to be looking into shoulder belts and a modern seat.
For the record, I was driving a compact sedan and was rearended by a small suv. They weren't going very fast, but it was enough to cause $2k damage in the rear of my car and make the driver's seatback bend back. And I had a sore neck for about 4 days.
I realize that if I was hit in my truck by a smaller car the damage wouldn't be as bad. (at least on my truck) But it seems like where I drive full size trucks and suvs are really common. And most of them probably weigh at least as much as a half ton 2wd truck. So that's why I started this thread. I'd like to stack the deck in my favor, just in case.

[ole dollor]

Originally Posted by special-k

i think this is a great topic to discuss. Hopefully some good ideas will come out of it. But, here's my take. Cars will never be safe. Life is full of risks and you can't eliminate them all. I've been taking my chances all these years and feel as safe as ever in the trucks as they are. I feel a lot of this concern comes from us being "protected" by the fed regulations that have mounded up on motor vehicles over the years since these trucks were produced. I feel a lot of those regs serve to protect the mfgr from lawsuits more than occupants. It seems many give us a false sense of security and even result in more careless driving. It's as if people feel they are protected from harm and are not responsible for their own safety or the safety of others. I see sloppier careless driving day by day. Regardless, it is what it is and we have to deal with that and not how it should be. All i know is it seems as many people are getting injured/killed in accidents as ever. It almost feels like if cars are safer now then people are figuring out new ways to get hurt. I just drive as aware as possible and watch what others around me are doing. I can't avoid all accidents, but i would have been in a lot of accidents that didn't happen, no thanks to the oblivious other driver. I expect the worse from everyone on the road. Since most people here drive modern vehicles daily they are used to all the "advances" and when they hop in the old truck the 40 year gap is felt. No overdrive makes them feel the engine will blow at 70 mph, but it's just fine. New vehicles have been designed to reduce wind noise and have a quite cabin, so people feel these trucks are noisy, and compared they are. Fuel injection fires right up and a carb could take some cranking, but they start. Etc etc.
I do think shoulder belts are a great idea in these trucks. I always wear the belt in vehicles with them. I don't wear the lap belt because they can hurt you as much as save. Lower spinal damage is a great possibility with those. They were basically outlawed, but that was handled by mandated shoulder belts

amen.....

[feller]

This may be opening a new can of worms but.... There is always a "weak link" something is going to give, we could look at this and say why not just install 5 point racing belts, the problem there would then be neck injuries (RIP, Dale) I think the most important thing any of us could learn from this thread is if you are comfortable with what ever safety equipment you have or are upgrading to, also be as careful as possible and drive defensively, then things will be OK. There will always be accidents I know of no one that has had an on purpose, well maybe a crazy ex girlfriend, lol

[DeadheadNM]

Here's the sort of injury that may occur during a high speed collision with only a lap belt (arrows show an aortic injury, left, and a horizontal fracture through a lumbar vertebral body, right) but you're odds of being injured are worse if ejected from the cab. Best to have lap and shoulder belts.

[EdSevered]

I already have high back buckets, which I kinda like the way they look, and front disc brakes. But I also want to add 3-point seat belts, and I was thinking of converting the bed light, above the rear cab window, on my '71 to a secondary brake light, probably LED, like on newer vehicles. Any opinions or insights on the feasibility and effectiveness? Thanks -Ed

[67ChevyRedneck]

^ Check this out:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=523357

[EdSevered]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

^ Check this out:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=523357

Wow! I love this site! I knew someone had to have come up with that idea, already.

Just ask and ye shall receive.

Thanks for the link!

-Ed

[feller]

I kinda like that 3rd brake light, it is a nice mod that is somewhat inconspicuous.

[feller]

So were the original 72 3 points like the ones in a friends chevelle that have basically two female ends, one for the shoulder and one for the lap? Just curious these things are older than me and I like the look of his

[jcd9730]

Its 2015, if you drive the truck regularly, you 100% should have shoulder belts. There is just no reason not to. The ones from LMC are in my truck, and they look fine. I rearended someone a year ago. I work night shift, and between that and helping someone move right after getting off work, I was quite exhausted and half asleep and smashed into someone in rush hour traffic. I'm quite positive if it weren't for the shoulder belts, I would have hit the steering wheel. What would have stopped me?

Also, a lot of guys on this forum avoid headrest seats because it looks bad. I do agree, but if it is a regularly driven truck, what will stop you from smacking your head through the window? It's not safety glass like the windshield. I personally love benches in these trucks, but my 72 is my DD, and the huge window always worried me. So I got limo tint on the back, and put some buckets with headrests. MUCH safer, for me and my girlfriend (regular passenger), and you cant really see the headrests from the back.

As long as your brakes (front disc is a must) are working as intended, your suspension is in good shape, and you have shoulder belts and headrests in, you will have about as good a chance as you can in these trucks of surviving a bad wreck. I don't think of myself, I think of explaining the safety of my truck to my girlfriend's dad.