Why Sugar Coat Seatbelt Safety?

If your tube car, mud truck, Jeep, prerunner, or tow rig happens to wreck, roll, or have some sort of high- or low-speed tumble you better be wearing your seatbelt. Otherwise you might die. And dying is lame because your buddies will get all your tools and leftover 4x4 parts and probably date your girlfriend or widow.

Seriously, if you don’t wheel with your seatbelt fastened you’re an idiot. It’s simple physics: A body in motion wants to stay in motion. If your truck is moving and then stops suddenly you’ll keep moving if not buckled in, smashing your chest into the steering wheel, legs into the dash, and head into the windshield. Go fast enough and you’ll be chucked through the windshield and into the telephone pole, rock, cactus, or big rig that your truck stopped so abruptly against.

Many off-roaders believe that a lap belt is sufficient to hold them in place and still allows them to lean out the window or door and see trail obstacles. Just remember that if you can lean out the window you may also have your head tossed out the window on a rollover.

Many off-roaders believe that a lap belt is sufficient to hold them in place and still all

Then there are those who claim they can jump free faster if they are unbuckled. That’s a great idea. Jump free and have your 4x4 roll on top of you. Neat, you’re dead. Guess you won’t need that winch and mud tires; we’ll take those.

The fact is we need you around. If you die who are we going to take pictures of on the trail? Who’s going to buy the magazine and support the advertisers? Who’s going to be smiling and having a great weekend in the dirt? Not you if you don’t wear your seatbelt.