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Is it safer to wear seatbelts, or not?

MTVR

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When you watch that 35 mph rollover above, keep in mind that doubling the speed to a more realistic 70 mph, would QUADRUPLE the amount of force.
 

doghead

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What speed rating did your tires have when they were new?
 

V8srfun

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When making decisions that can effect your life and others it is your responsibility to make the right decisions. For example to say I will not wear a seatbelt just in case I roll my truck over and it will not crush me is not all that intelligent. Because if you get your truck in a position to roll over you are most likely NOT going to have the time to react in a way where you can remove your body from danger. The amount of stupid it takes to roll a m35 on its roof is going to exceed the amount of intelligence and physical ability to get out of danger after the rollover has started.
Now on the other hand there are many situations where being safely secured in your seat can benefit your safety and those around you. Like if you do get in a situation where you do roll your truck but just on its side and not on the roof.
Or driving on rough terrain and possibly getting bounced right out of your seat.
Or whatever the case may be you are safer with the belt on than with out in far more situations.

Smoking cigarettes for the reason of preconditioning your lungs to tolerate smoke is stupid. But if you smoke because you enjoy it that is a whole different situation. Don’t try to justify what you are doing to make it seem intelligent to others when you are denying statistics and common sense procedures. We are not going to force you to wear a belt even tho we think you should so don’t try to make us believe that you found a better way when you are actually creating more risks than you are preventing.

This response is not pointed at any one person but rather my opinion on the subject. Believe me I have been in contact with many people that swear they will never wear a belt and they always have a terrible excuse for it. Every person I have ever had a conversation with that refuses to wear a safety belt always focuses on one scenario that is highly unlikely to ever happen to justify their actions. These people always reject statistics and common sense practices and use their obscure situation to justify their means.

Look if someone wants to do something stupid I can’t stop them. But it would be nice if they stop making unrealistic justifications for their actions. People are going to do what they want so why can’t they just do it without the extra nonsense along the way.
 

simp5782

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When making decisions that can effect your life and others it is your responsibility to make the right decisions. For example to say I will not wear a seatbelt just in case I roll my truck over and it will not crush me is not all that intelligent. Because if you get your truck in a position to roll over you are most likely NOT going to have the time to react in a way where you can remove your body from danger. The amount of stupid it takes to roll a m35 on its roof is going to exceed the amount of intelligence and physical ability to get out of danger after the rollover has started.
Now on the other hand there are many situations where being safely secured in your seat can benefit your safety and those around you. Like if you do get in a situation where you do roll your truck but just on its side and not on the roof.
Or driving on rough terrain and possibly getting bounced right out of your seat.
Or whatever the case may be you are safer with the belt on than with out in far more situations.

Smoking cigarettes for the reason of preconditioning your lungs to tolerate smoke is stupid. But if you smoke because you enjoy it that is a whole different situation. Don’t try to justify what you are doing to make it seem intelligent to others when you are denying statistics and common sense procedures. We are not going to force you to wear a belt even tho we think you should so don’t try to make us believe that you found a better way when you are actually creating more risks than you are preventing.

This response is not pointed at any one person but rather my opinion on the subject. Believe me I have been in contact with many people that swear they will never wear a belt and they always have a terrible excuse for it. Every person I have ever had a conversation with that refuses to wear a safety belt always focuses on one scenario that is highly unlikely to ever happen to justify their actions. These people always reject statistics and common sense practices and use their obscure situation to justify their means.

Look if someone wants to do something stupid I can’t stop them. But it would be nice if they stop making unrealistic justifications for their actions. People are going to do what they want so why can’t they just do it without the extra nonsense along the way.
Unfortunately mechanical failure is the highest cause of accidents in military trucks. Not stupidity when it comes to roll overs going down the highway. Stupidity of other drivers is next on the list

Whole hubs coming apart and transmission/driveline lock ups are quite common.

My M923 ended up getting put on its side and the M322 carrying a M936A0 rolled over twice. Due to a transmission failure, in which an upshift caused the transmission to lock between 2 gears, Unfortunately the pavement was wet from the first rain in 3 weeks. It broke the tires traction loose rater than breaking the driveshaft [had it been dry] this was at around 40mph after climbing a mountain and about to head down a steep grade into Port Jervis NY. Fortunately when it went to pushing the truck around, the Pintle hitch worked as designed allowing the trailer to roll first over not taking my truck with it. You have plenty of time to respond in some type of accidents. It really will depend on how capable and comfortable you are in your truck really as to what the end result is going to be. I was able to instinctively reach immediately for the air charging handle for the transmission shifter and disengage it to attempt to default the transmission to neutral and i pulled the trolley valve on the trailer breaks to stop the skid to try to keep it together. The transmission failure was due to a crap rebuild on a transmission by AECOM.

You can see from the picture of the m936 that the m939 cabs don't hold up well. That was a rollover with a soft top. Truck was secured to the trailer thru the whole accident. I ended up with a small bruise and a scratch. I would have NOT wanted to be in that 936 cab or what is left with the windshed ripped off and the cab collapsed arouns

Most people with surplus mv vehicles feel uncomfortable every time they get in the drivers seat. Even timid cause they don't feel confident in their ability to handle the truck cause it isn't something they drive often.

@sandcobra164 is an instructor for the MTVR at MCLB Albany maybe he could shed some light on those types of trucks.

We all agree that vehicles with armor and rops fair way better in a truck that gets turtled.
 

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V8srfun

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If a particular person feels uncomfortable with driving their vehicle they SHOULD NOT be driving it. Or at least they should get to a situation where they are comfortable and gain the experience needed to become comfortable. Most people in accidents regardless of vehicle type are not emotionally strong enough to actively work at making the best of the situation. Fortunately many mv owners served and have training on how to keep a clear head in stressful situations.
Regardless I am not trying to change anyone’s ways because you need to be comfortable in your vehicle in order to operate it properly. That is the nice thing about the forum here we can voice our opinions openly.
 

simp5782

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If a particular person feels uncomfortable with driving their vehicle they SHOULD NOT be driving it. Or at least they should get to a situation where they are comfortable and gain the experience needed to become comfortable. Most people in accidents regardless of vehicle type are not emotionally strong enough to actively work at making the best of the situation. Fortunately many mv owners served and have training on how to keep a clear head in stressful situations.
Regardless I am not trying to change anyone’s ways because you need to be comfortable in your vehicle in order to operate it properly. That is the nice thing about the forum here we can voice our opinions openly.
Your comment of that is takes stupidity to put a truck on its roof is way off. The army report i posted even states that they all have high centers of gravity making rollovers probable

The FLU419 SEEs go over so easy they have roll back points on top of the cab and frame for making them upright
 

CMPPhil

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Shall we dial down the rhetoric, and get back to the original topic "Is it safer to wear seatbelts, or not?" Those of you who choose not to wear them that is your decision, those of us who choose to wear them that is our choice.

In very specific situations either choice will be the WRONG decision but what you must look at is what is the most probable situation.

Then there are the situations where it is not going to matter. Like this video

Cheers Phil
 

V8srfun

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Maybe these former military vehicles should not be used on highways by civilians.

This post would be great ammunition for any (and all) insurance businesses to reconsider.
I like how you are trying to victimize me when you have multiple people saying these vehicles are unstable and therefore unsafe to drive when all I said is in high stress situations you benefit from having training.
 

simp5782

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Shall we dial down the rhetoric, and get back to the original topic "Is it safer to wear seatbelts, or not?" Those of you who choose not to wear them that is your decision, those of us who choose to wear them that is our choice.

In very specific situations either choice will be the WRONG decision but what you must look at is what is the most probable situation.

Then there are the situations where it is not going to matter. Like this video

Cheers Phil
i mean i believe it to be the worst of 2 evils. the kid that rear ended my trailer was wearing a seatbelt. He survived the crash but was groaning and moaning when i pulled him from the car, he never had any brain activity until he passed away 2 weeks later. I believe as though he wouldnt have suffered thru so much before he passed away had he not been wearing a seatbelt and it would have been an instant death. but all i can do is speculate on that.
 

US6x4

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The 809s weren't mentioned here that I found but 939s sure are; are 809s less prone to roll overs than 939s? Smaller dually tires (typically) and a lower body or are all singled out MVs the main concern?
 

simp5782

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The 809s weren't mentioned here that I found but 939s sure are; are 809s less prone to roll overs than 939s? Smaller dually tires (typically) and a lower body or are all singled out MVs the main concern?
M939s were prone to rollovers due to the loss of steering during severe braking before they installed ABS on the trucks to prevent engine stall.
 

Guyfang

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I like how you are trying to victimize me when you have multiple people saying these vehicles are unstable and therefore unsafe to drive when all I said is in high stress situations you benefit from having training.
I wont speculate on you being victimized or not. Above my pay grade. Will say, I spent 20 years in the Army. Did another 8+ years as a contractor. Drove everything with a steering wheel and or laterals that the Army had. Was a Master Driver the last 6 years on duty. I took every drivers course you can think of and then some more.

No course or training provided high stress training. No course or training gave me any advantage in high stress situations. That comes with driving. Few people in the military drive all that much. And when they do, its civilian cars. POV's (privet owned vehicles) or the fleets of civilian vehicles that the Army buys, to save wear and tear on military vehicles.
 

Karl kostman

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I live in ND and like many people here dont like things mandated to them no matter how logical it is! I read the car accident reports in the paper every week and just about 100% of the fatalities are for people who got ejected from the vehicle, why? Did not have their seat belt on! If I were a gambler, which I am not but in my head I feel I know where my best odds are and because of that I always wear my seatbelt, even in my HEMTT!
Karl
 

Wire Fox

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I wear the 3-point safety belts in my HMMWV at all times when that vehicle is in motion. I do the same when in anyone else's MV. My exception has been when riding in the back during slow, parade-like rides (actual parades, moving a group of people through a campground ~10 MPH speeds, etc) and the puttering around at stuff like the annual Haspin Rally, as crawling around at 5 MPH on a nicely-groomed trail is much different than going 45 MPH on the road or even going 1 MPH over harsh terrain. I feel that the person in the driver's seat should always be buckled, no matter what. The driver being in any situation where they can be bumped out of position to control the vehicle is absolutely unacceptable. While I wouldn't want to be tethered to my motorcycle as it offers literally 0 protection in a crash, I've experienced enough crashes off-road due to rough terrain forcing me to slip off the controls and not being able to regain control quick enough. Should one of these crashes ever occur into a large object, I'm in for a world of hurt. In any kind of enclosed vehicle, I positively know that my chances will always be best firmly planted into the driver's seat, holding the controls and doing everything I can to safely steer the vehicle from any of those immovable objects.

Just as I wear my safety glasses when using any rotary or reciprocating tool, I wear my hearing protection when around any loud equipment (including my HMMWV), I wear appropriate gloves for the material I am handling. These safety devices offer serious, added protection. I grew up with the safety devices being the standard, so none of them ever feel like an "extra burden" to me, just a necessary part of performing the task. Seeing the injuries and the damage that occur from not using them is enough to convince me that I don't have to experience them first-hand to decide to start using them.
 

nyoffroad

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To wear or not wear seat belts, I'm not going to call names or anything like that just a simple true story. A Few years back I stopped at the scene of an accident that just happened, a woman that resembled a bundle of rags had been ejected thru the windshield of her Cherokee and was laying in the road alive with half her skull missing! Her 7 year old son who had been belted in asked me if she was ok, let me tell you I lied my ass off the that kid. She made it to the hospital but died later that day. It's you vehicle and your body , make a wise choice!
 
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