Seatbelt Height

I learned something new on Sunday. Apparently 99% of you will read this and say "I knew that" - but if that other 1% was clueless like me...I will have performed my community service for the day. (no, not court-ordered community service)

I am a person who does not always wear my seatbelt. Which is strange because I am certain that my seatbelt saved my life when I rolled Mom's VW a few years back. The car was totalled. It doesn't take much to total a Volkswagen Beetle. No - not one of those fancy new ones with the bud vase on the dashboard. (another tangent I would like to wander off on some day) A 1974 Super Beetle. Black. Extra wide tires. I remember it very well - mostly because Mom kept a picture of it on her desk for years after. Anyway - was driving on I64 and hit standing water in a downpour and the car spun around then started rolling. I think it rolled about 3 times. At least twice. Came to rest on it's feet (tires) and my foot was on the dash. I thought it was on the dash. 74 Super Beetles do not have dashboards...my foot was actually out the front window. Never did find that windshield. Both doors were jammed shut - I had to kick the passenger door open. Very dramatic. Got out of the car and then decided I was tired and lay down for a nap. In the rain and the mud. That is when a nice lady came along and put my wet muddy butt in her nice clean car until the rescue squad came.

So I know that the rest of my body would have followed my right leg out the window if I hadn't been wearing my seatbelt. So, why don't I put it on every time I get in the car? Because it rubs my neck. And not in a good way.

After Carl's wreck on Friday night I am trying to be better about wearing it. When he got in my car on Sunday and I put on my seatbelt - he said "you don't have to wear yours just because I'm wearing mine". I said that I was trying to do better, but the seatbelt rubs my neck. He said "why don't you lower it?" "What? How?" And he reached behind me and squeezed the thing that the seatbelt runs through (I believe it is a tensioner?) and slid it down.

You could have bought me for a dime! I've never seen such a thing!! Since then, I have discovered that every car I get into - they all have this seatbelt height adjustment thing!! Now, for someone who drives a 74 Super Beetle, your seatbelt doesn't slide anywhere. And I don't think that my 87 Fox wagon did either. But for most every other car out there...you can adjust the height of the seatbelt!

I told you that you were going to say "I knew that"

Hamster beaten, but securely fastened to his seat.