Making our trucks just a little bit safer

[In The Ten Ring]

I was on a 4 hour drive yesterday and on the interstate, here comes two drivers, looking down as they merged. There's your danger.

And you know just what they were looking at. Maybe there is an app now that tells people when it's clear to merge. I don't know.....I have a flip phone and I hate texting.

[special-K]

Thanks you all for the condolences. Nancy was a good girl in every way. Cared more about others than herself. She was a first year medical student studying to be a doctor so she could travel the world helping people, not about the money. She was such a good student she was referred by the university she graduated from and admitted w/o taking the MCATs. Pure and sweet, just 23 years of life. She had a saying, "Small things change the world", and she impacted everyone where ever she went. The drunk refused a breathalizer, unremorseful waste of a piece of skin.

Originally Posted by CG

Look I know everything new is miles better, if I was paranoid about accidents I wouldn't drive old cars and trucks as my hobby. But if I can make mine just a tad safer, why not?

I totally get you and agree on adding safety where possible. I may not care to alter my own stuff, but would never tell someone else where their comfort zone should be when it comes to safety.

In my big tough '69 Power Wagon with schedule 40 tube bumper I was lucky to be here to tell about it. When I went to the towing company to see it two days later the guy there didn't believe it was me driving it, thought the driver was dead. The frame rails and sheet metal were folded to the right, one piece of the bumper (with fabbed push bar from 3/8" plate & 2 1/2" thick tube) was sheared off and stuck in the van's grille. The front axle was broken in two and out from under the truck with engine dropped to the road. My buddy I gave the engine to said the heads had shifted on the block and the lifters were bent. The wood floor Utiline bed (Stepside) tore off, came around my right and the fender bent on the door that flung upon. One main leaf on the rear sheared off and the other bent in a 90 degree (never hit brakes). The driveshafts flew out, so did the windshield (no bead in gasket) and back glass shattered. I must have locked my arms at impact because the larger diameter foam grip dish with holes steering wheel was bent to look like a Model T steering wheel. No seat belts I flew forward and to my right with my head hitting the mirror, kidneys the horn button, and my knees hitting under the dash or something that laid them open. I broke my jaw, right hand, nose, had blood in my urine (but turned out no rupture), the knees and other stitches in my eye brow and upper lip. I was hurtin' for certain, but limping around and glad to be alive. The hand went undetected. It was cut on back and gripping a hammer hurt for a while. There's a calcium deposit on it which is why I'm pretty sure it was fractured.

I want to do 3 points in my project truck. I always wear them in whatever has them and don't bother with lap belts, since you stand a good chance of severing your lower spine in an accident, which is what made them obsolete and shoulder belts mandated. I've ridden motorcycles all my life and accept the risk. If a rider isn't totally defensive and expect the worst from everyone all the time they should put the kickstand down, walk away, and never look back. I had an old timer rider tell me, "If you have an accident it's your fault". That is where I learned, "your safety is in your own hands". So, if you feel something could be done to make a vehicle safer, it is your extreme right to do what you feel is best.

[CG]

Ill be putting after market 3 pointers in my 4x4. If I knew of a way to do it to the center belt I would do that too. Just thinking about when I haul the grand kids around. Id like to bring em back to their parents without any big knots on their foreheads heh.

[In The Ten Ring]

Originally Posted by CG

Ill be putting after market 3 pointers in my 4x4. If I knew of a way to do it to the center belt I would do that too. Just thinking about when I haul the grand kids around. Id like to bring em back to their parents without any big knots on their foreheads heh.

Just let them ride in the bed. Kids love to ride in the bed of trucks.

Oh wait.....

I remember WV banning riding in the back of truck beds after a load of teens met a bad end.

[special-K]

Get them helmets . It's a fact tha more head injuries occur in cars than on motorcycles. I know, statistics. Way more cars on roads than bikes.

[CG]

I remember we were down at the ocean where you can drive on the beach. I wasn't driving very fast, my sons were sitting on the tailgate. I hit a bit of a dip, looked in the rearview mirror ... no sons lol! There were mad at me, they were sure I did it on purpose haha. They weren't hurt in the least, maybe a little sand in their shorts.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Glad you made it Special-K, and very sorry for your niece. You're right, sometimes there's nothing you can do, and there's not a shortage of mindless drivers out there, never mind the bad, drunk, high, crazy, dumb and blind. Text machines make it so much worse.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by CG

Ill be putting after market 3 pointers in my 4x4. If I knew of a way to do it to the center belt I would do that too. Just thinking about when I haul the grand kids around. Id like to bring em back to their parents without any big knots on their foreheads heh.

That's why I won't use lap belts anymore. When I was 7 or 8 I was 4wheelin with my dad in his old jeep Comanche truck, I think around a 69/70, and it only had lap belts. We got stuck and it took a couple hours to get her free, but once going dad didn't let off and when we got out to the main road we damn near jumped the ditch and I did a full face plant into the dash. There was blood everywhere. I thought my mom was going to kill him on the way to the hospital. I kept telling her I was OK. I broke my nose and had to get stitches in my forehead.

[Coley]

Don't get too caught up in the 'what if' factor.
Today the media markets everything as life threatening to an extreme...from football to swimming to soccer to old vehicles...it never ends.
Apparently just about anything that requires movement brings a threat of concussion or death.
The worst part is that parents have kicked into overdrive believing it and limiting their kids access and freedom to...well just about everything including riding in a classic truck or even, believe it or not...riding a bike.
Ironically kids are more likely to die prematurely, and before their parents, from heart disease due to inactivity and obesity. Perhaps they should be taking their chances with some of these supposedly dangerous, life threatening life experiences.

Regardless and with respect to the trucks and older vehicles we are all safer on the road than when these vehicles were new, including relative to the possibility of accidents in todays driving environment.
We are all running better tire technology..and many of us have upgraded brakes, etc. and needles to say everyone is on the lookout for those ultra-rare shoulder belts.....me too, lol.
Tack on that the fact that in an accident today the crumple zone on a vehicle helps save both drivers...not just one. So if you have an accident with a vehicle today their crumple zone is going to help you as well.
This is quite a bit different than running into a 1970 Cadillac Fleetwood back in the day...which is and was, never a good thing for anyone.

Most of all tho'....don't live your life in fear and in speculating the worst because...when you make a decision out out of fear, you never make a good decision.

My two bits.
Coley

[GASoline71]

I was involved in a 50 mph impact with a ditch in my 1972 GMC 2 years ago. Sliding backwards and quartering into the ditch from the drivers side front corner.

My LAP BELT saved my life as the truck made impact with the ditch the drivers side door flew open. It held me in the seat. If I would have not had that simple safety device I would have ended up under the truck. As that heavy ass door swung open and then slammed back closed it hit me in the left arm, shoulder and knee. Didn't break anything by I was bruised up pretty bad. The top of the door above the arm rest still bears the dent from my arm, and I'm going to leave it there even after I get done with the resurrection rebuild of my truck. Ever look at how rigid that metal is in that spot as it bends toward the window sweep? I don't know how it didn't shatter my elbow.

The impact bent the frame. bent the motor mounts and the drivers side lower control arm. But the entire steering shaft is just as rigid as it was before the wreck.

I still feel safe in older vehicles. But I am still thinking about a 3-point belt system, instead of just a lap belt.

Gary

[Sixteen Tons]

3 point belts. My wife and daughters do ride in my truck frequently and I don't fancy smashing my face on an 18" steering wheel. I found US military surplus Hummer belts for an extremely affordable price and installed with minor mod.Well worth the piece of mind.

[70STOVEBOLT]

Originally Posted by Sixteen Tons

3 point belts. My wife and daughters do ride in my truck frequently and I don't fancy smashing my face on an 18" steering wheel. I found US military surplus Hummer belts for an extremely affordable price and installed with minor mod.Well worth the piece of mind.

Got any pics of the belts installed?

[AnotherWs6]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Was the driver wearing a 3 point seatbelt? Without it, doing anything else is pointless.

+1 - was the driver wearing his seat belt and was it a lap or a 3-point?

[Nochance]

For now I'm only going to install 3 point seatbelts and go to church but just doing that I'm still going to look and feel safer than someone on a motorcycle.