seat belt or not,,,,,?

Ok ,,,,,,,, on our epic laning adventure in Llangollen last sunday we had a cracking days laning as you all know,the last part we did was crossing the river at corwen,our group of four pulled up and got out to have a look and make sure it was safe to cross,it was running a little high,just under the first peice of wood in the fence,so it was deamed safe doris went first followed by alex ,bill and ben then it was our turn,i was a little nervous as we got in and lined ourselves up for the crossing,when chey asked dad "should i wear my seat belt",in a split second my mind was flashing images of us being swept down river turning over and being trapped in the car and my daughter panicking and not being able to undo the seat belt and drowning,,like that poor young girl on strata florida last year :cry:

...so i told her to leave it off,,,,,,,did i do the right thing :?:

your her farther you made the decision whats there to ask :?:

Told Spence the same mate, even added a little, "if things get dramatic I'm dragging you out, dont struggle".

Was way over the top for the carwash, but preparation is worth it.

first priority is the little uns safety ,i also had a image of postfinder wedged in my sun roof :roll:

yuc

This is an interesting topic and something I hadn't considered until I attempted Corwen in the passenger seat of a Landrover with the river running full and fast.

Travelling from the gate to the field, I was mentally working out what would happen if it rolled onto it's side, would the driver end up on top of me, how do the doors open (I was in an unfamiliar vehicle) how do the windows open...

We got through ok, but it was a hairy ride (YouTube: we drove through first, being swept down stream (in a lighter LR90 van) and having to drive upstream to get out, before I started the video camera)

My current thoughts are that somewhere like Corwen, the upstream occupants should be belted and the downstream occupants unbelted, but each river crossing should be individually considered.

I'm not a parent, but should a child ask a parent for advise, I am hopeful that a responsible and authoritative answer would be given - just as mentioned in the two cases above.

Lawrence

good reply lawrence

thats a hard question to answer Dave i can imagine all sort of thing would be going though my mind like

if we got swept away is it better to have the belt on of off

off would make it easier to get the little ones out of the car quickly

but imagine if the car rolled they would be getting thrown around and if the were thrown from the car then they would get swept away by the current

if they had the seat belt on you would know were they am making a rescue much easier

like i say a tough one

Good thread, I would be inclined to leave the belt off, as your travelling at reletivly slow speed I think you will have an idea when the car was going to break away and you can tense for it.

Finding your way to a seat belt under dark murky fast flowing water could be next to impossible.

And dont forget that hammer under the seat to break the screen. Nice big me shaped hole, easier to drag a lil un through too.

Sure they will get some cuts, some bruises, cold, wet n scared. But I can live with that.

Hi Weave,I think you did the right thing... In a 'hairy situation', you 'gut feeling kicks in', and I think if most people listen to that 'inner voice', then you can't go far wrong, that just my opinion ... so I think you did right matey

Regards Roo

why thanks roo :wink:

Like a few peeps have said already, it's a tough one that only you as the parent, or as the guardian, or even as the DRIVER can make the decision on based on ALL the available information in front of you.

Personally mate, I reckon based on all the information there in front of you (and as said by Roo) you made the right decision based on that and gut instinct alone.

Many gut instinct moments have saved lives!
ALWAYS REMEMBER: "If in doubt, DON'T"

HOWEVER on top of all that remember this as well:
KEEP YOURSELF SAFE BEFORE ANYONE ELSE.. because if you are the driver/responsible adult or whatever YOU cannot help ANYONE if YOU are a CASUALTY..

Mind how you go.

Si

Just a note to advise that it is a legal requirement to wear a seat belt when driving green lanes (as is tax, mot, license etc)

That said, I will make my own decision to wear a belt when fording a river (or other tricky section of track).

Lawrence