In a message dated 11/12/2004 9:43:57 PM Eastern Standard Time,
lmtr4a@ctlnet.com writes:
Accept the fact that while in a side screen TR, a collision with anything
larger than a go-cart and you will come out second. A shoulder belt will
force you to sit bold upright while you head becomes the roll bar. In a tip
over I would rather grab the hand brake with both hands. Of course you can
say that a shoulder belt will keep you from banging you head on the steering
wheel or windshield frame but in a head -on the virtually solid steering
column will come up to meet you.
======
Lou, I would mostly agree with what you say, except that a properly
installed and properly adjusted "conventional" diagonal shoulder belt / lap
belt
combination would allow the freedom to (all else being equal) prevent yourself
from serving as a roll bar, and it could help keep you away from that steering
wheel just a bit better during that head-on collision.
Past a certain point (speed, circumstance -- and it varies from one vehicle
to the next), nothing will keep you from some injury or, uh, worse in a
crash. But I think that a point high enough on the wheel arch (at or as near
as
possible to shoulder height -- you really do NOT want the shoulder belt mount
too low) would be a more than satisfactory anchor point for the shoulder belt.
Of course, maybe I'm just old-fashioned, but I do remain leery of trying to
fit any sort of inertia reel lap/shoulder combination in a car for which they
were not specifically designed and tested. I prefer the older style of
lap/shoulder belts (which I have in the front of my Herald sedan), where the
lap
portion is snugged properly and the shoulder belt is adjusted so as to just
allow a clenched fist to pass between belt and torso.
--Andy Mace
*Mrs Irrelevant: Oh, is it a jet?
*Man: Well, no ... It's not so much of a jet, it's more your, er,
Triumph Herald engine with wings.
-- Cut-price Airlines Sketch, Monty Python's Flying Circus (22)
Check out the North American Triumph Sports 6 (Vitesse 6) and Triumph Herald
Database at its new URL: _http://triumph-herald.us_
(http://triumph-herald.us/)
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