After driving my girlfriend home from my house the other day, I come to a stoplight. The MS walk is going on, so there are several cops out on foot patrolling traffic, and the overall safety of the people walking (that or ********ing with their partner). Anyway, I come to the light, and notice these 2 cops staring at me. I give a slight smile in an act of friendliness. I look back over and see one of them walking toward me while the other is smiling. At this point I know he is going to be a lower part of the male anatomy that shall not be mentioned. I lower my radio. He leans over and says, "Are you wearing your seatbelt" and I say, “As you can visibly see, I am”. "He says you know it's still illegal if you wear your seat belt under your arm pit” which I was doing. So I look at him strangely and say "Oh, ok". He tells me to make sure I’m wearing it properly next time. I say nothing. As the light turns I look at the adolescent laughing officers and give a big I rev my engine really nice and get a great exhaust note as I exit.

Now I have a question, is it illegal for you to wear your seatbelt under your armpit ?

 

Yes, well in the state of Texas it is.

 

Im tryin to figure out how that works..so theres nothing restraining your shoulder? So whats the point in that, for looks sake?

 

Legal or not, it is dangerous to wear it that way.

 

Doesn't sound real comfortable, either...

 

My dad's 66 mustang only has lap belts. Oh.. and the steering wheel doesn't collapse. Lets just say... I try to avoid wrecking that thing.

 

the shoulder part of the belt is what keeps you from flying foward in a collision... the belt in the Z tightens when it's pulled fast... if its not around your shoulder then it'll probably slip down your waste and hurt very badly when it pulls against your body...

 

I can't stand cops!!! Just my opinion.

 

Honestly its not uncomfortable in anyway. It feels fine, and you feel as though you aren't even wearing it. No, i don't wear it under my armpit for looks . To me, wearing it the way i do feels much less restrictive. Also, is it a proven fact that wearing it that way will hurt you, and is it truly illegal ?

 

get those nismo seat belt pads and you will feel extra comfy

 

 

Sounds like the cop was jeaulous and wanted to be an A$$hole. I would have sand "Oh Okay, Thanks I want to make sure I'm around so that I can enjoy driving this beautiful car, By the way , do you like it?" "Thanks again". Good lookin out. Rev the engine a few time and pull off, with a sarcastic wave.

 

ouchie!

how could you wear your belt likke that... isnt that uncomfortable???

its all about comfort...

NISMO Seat Belt Pads

 

If he was being an a$$ then you would have gotten a ticket. Wearing a seatbelt like that will probably cause more injuries that it would prevent in an accident. Did it occur to you that the cop might just have been looking out for your safety instead of "hasseling" you?

Granted, maybe he gave you attitude during the interchange, but we can't tell that from your story.

Just because a cop talks to you doesn't mean hes out to get you. Unless something more happend in this tale, I say lighten up, and appreciate the safety tip.

 

There is nothing more to the story, but as i described in the original post, it was pretty clear cut why he came over to me. My brother-in-law is a cop, so i have nothing against them at all (except for stupidity like this, which my brother-in-law hates). In my opinion he was being a ****. I could be wrong, but i seriously doubt he stoped having a conversation with his partner, and walked across the middle of traffic, just to give me safety advice, while i'm stuck at a red light. Call me cynical if you will, but the probability of that being the case seems very slim.

Yet again, if anyone has any viable information on this, whether it is illegal, or could cause injury please post it.

 

Yeah who would walk across the street in traffic for something trivial like telling you how not to get hurt. He definately saw who you were and really wanted to give you a hard time by telling you to wear your belt the right way. The best part is when he really showed you who's boss and didn't write you the ticket. Those cops are just out to get everyone.

 

He definitely wasn't being an a$$hole, he was just telling you how to wear your seatbelt LEGALLY.......It surprises me that you don't know how to wear one.

 

Can I ask what it is that made you people get so perturbed? So I like to wear my seatbelt under my armpit because it feels very uncomfortable and restrictive the other way. Why does this bother you so much? I think it’s pure comedy and naivety that you people actually think this cop was being moral and righteous and not trying to bust my chops . Even my brother-in-law said that cops like to stick it to people who have sports cars, and he loves being a cop.

 

Some of you are very naive. I never said cops were out to get everybody. However you can't make a sound-minded assumption based on a situation you were not even witness to. Have you ever had an encounter with the police before, they are not always the nicest of people. Cops are human to, and in many situations act like adolescents. Have you ever seen a cop turn his siren on to go through a red light, then shut it off once he’s through ? Have you ever seen a cop who kind of just drives however he wants on the road, making illegal U’s, speeding past people for no reason ? Guess not.

 

Yes, wearing your seatbelt under your arm is likely to get you severe internal injuries (quite possibly fatal) in even a low- or medium-speed crash. Fastened over your shoulder, the braking force applied by the seat-belt is directed onto your ribcage, sternum, and shoulder. These are bony, and relatively strong parts of your body. Sited below your shoulder, it wil apply forces along your lower abdomen. (A similar thing happens when people wear a shoulder belt without a lap-belt - they slide up and over the shoulder belt until it digs into their gut. It's called barber-poling.) This is likely to rupture a spleen, kidney, or, worst of all, your liver. It's very difficult for emergency personnel or doctors to deal with these injuries; if they don't kill you at once, you might spend a few agonizing days in the hospital before you croak.

It's my understanding that you might be better off without a seat belt at all than wearing it as you describe. If it changed your habits, the jerk-off cop might have saved your life.

That said, seatbelt laws are assinine. If you want to endanger yourself, that's your business. You just shouldn't be able to sue me if we get in a wreck (even if it's my fault) and the lack of a seatbelt made your injuries worse.