Inert Ramblings

I learned many things growing up as a young child because my parents were more or less firm believers in learning by doing. Don’t play with matches. Don’t stick your fingers in your mouth at a petting zoo. Don’t dump a box of Raisin Bran out on the bathroom floor to pick out the raisins (I didn’t get sick, but Mom has very embarrassing pictures). And, most importantly, always buckle up.

STRAP YOUR CHILDREN DOWN…THEY WIGGLE LESS…

My parents have always been advocates of seatbelt use. For as long as I can remember, they had always worn seatbelts and always made me buckle up. Even when I was still in a car seat but old enough to make conscious decisions, it would be me who tightened the straps. Looking back, I’m sure that I wasn’t actually accomplishing anything by pulling down on the adjustment strap, but it made me feel better to know that I was the one who had last inspected my belt.

LEARNING BY REENFORCEMENT…

When my parents owned an early-seventies Honda Civic, I almost always sat in the back in a car seat. I don’t remember much about that car because it was sold when I was five or six. The next vehicle my parents owned, however, I remember perfectly because I eventually ended up owning one. A 1981 Volkswagon Rabbit Diesel with automatic front seatbelts that attached to the doors.

Unlike the automatic motorized seatbelts that a lot of vehicles use today, the Rabbit had shoulder straps that actually connected to the outer edge of the door. As the door opened and swung out, the shoulder strap was pulled forward to accommodate the passenger. Closing the door would plant the shoulder strap firmly in place and the lap belt would have to manually be fastened.

Over the course of many years, the shoulder strap hitting my chest would fire off an automatic reflex to fasten the lap belt. And that was that. It became a routine that was required before my mother would even start the car. I always fastened my seat belts, of course, so she never actually had to wait for me before turning the key.

STRAP ME DOWN, BEAT ME UP…

My first accident was sometime around the age of six or seven. My mother and I were stopped at a red light about a block from our destination. I don’t remember what we were talking about, but I know we had been stopped for a few seconds because I started chattering about something I saw on the side of the road. I was then rudely interrupted by the loudest crunching sound I’d ever heard as I was sucked backwards into my seat, then my body was propelled forward as my head stayed still.

It took a few seconds to actually realize what had happened. A distracted teenage girl had rear-ended us at a high rate of speed and slammed the Rabbit a few feet forward. Our car was pushed forward from the initial impact while my body stayed stationary. The impact forced my head backwards, which got wedged in the headrest and, as my body caught up with the impact, moved forward and hit the shoulder strap.

Let me repeat…my head got wedged in the headrest. I can’t overstate this point enough. Proper use of seatbelts is important, but proper use of the headrest is just as important. The headrest had been adjusted for my mother since the first test drive, so there was a six inch gap between the top of the seat and the bottom of the headrest. My mother actually had to force my head out of the headrest! Please, adjust the headrest appropriately when children are riding in the front seat!

PERMANENTLY ENGRAINED IN MEMORY…

Before the accident, I always wore my seatbelt because it was just something you were supposed to do before starting to drive somewhere. After the accident, however, my whole outlook on driving changed. I realized just how dangerous cars actually were and I was now completely aware of the threat they posed. Kind of a morbid through for a six year old. From that point in time, putting on the seat belt changed from a necessity to a survival skill.

Even to this day, I remember the feeling of that impact every time I hear my seatbelt click. Even though I no longer have automatic seatbelts, I still have to take the time to fasten them or I just don’t feel quite right. Even for short drives just up and down the street to transport something to or from the inlaw’s house, I feel totally naked unless I strap myself in.

It’s just a way of life…