I never got Susan's message-but upon reading it, and her comments on the
shoulder vs. lap belt question, I think I would have to agree. You know,
when you think of how many little convertibles were on the road with only
lap belts and I can't think (personally) of having heard of anyone who was
killed or maimed in a Spit-or a Fiat Spyder, or...or...or...I did have a
friend in Italy whose cousin was killed back in the sixties racing his
Lancia coupe sportscar-missed a curve on a twisty coast road that he'd been
driving all his life and went down a cliff. We always thought there must
have been a mechanical failure for him to have missed that turn.
I know that, driving the Spit as much as I do, I've thought often of the
blowout that we had in my dad's station wagon when I was a kid-my mum laid
down in the seat when she realized we were in for a bad one-if she'd had
shoulder belt, she wouldn't have been able to to that. And I have often
thought about the tension on my shoulder belt, and how would I be able do
duck in a split second-I wouldn't. I must admit that many times, I put the
shoulder part of the belt under my arm.
The only people I have personally heard of getting killed in a car accident,
have been properly belted, driving along like rational and sensible human
beings, in bigger cars than Spitfires-and have been plowed into by drunk
drivers. (One was driving a car the same size. The other, the drunk driver
was driving a pick-up.) Of course, the drunks walked away without a scratch.
I figure that even if I were driving a Humvee, if a drunk is going to plow
into me I'm dead!
I was hit by that Drunk driver in Italy and statistics show that what is
it-one out of two or one out of three Americans will have a run in with a
drunk driver-does it count if that encounter was outside of the U.S.?
Laura G.
Vita brevis est: rapide agite, vigore strigate!
----- Original Message -----
From: Banbury, Terrence <Terrence.Banbury@dnr.state.oh.us>
To: 'Susan Hensley' <susan@bearcom.com>
Cc: <spitfires@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2000 8:21 AM
Subject: RE: Spitfire collisions/safety
>
> Well, my worst accident WAS a driver's side collision. A pickup truck was
> speeding through a one lane construction zone head on at us and hit me and
> my brother. I thought we were dead when I saw that huge grill coming at
us.
> I turned to the right, off the one open lane into the
> under-construction-lane and that's when he T-boned us. No apparent
> injuries. The next day I had a sore spot on the right side of my head and
> my brother had one on his left side. We must have hit heads. I don't
think
> we had seat belts on (in 1974). I can't explain why we weren't really
> injured more, BUT I can say that turning out of that lane prevented a head
> on, which I'm sure would have been ugly. Old truck, bald tires, skid
marks
> a mile long, known local punk and bad boy at the wheel and the cop said he
> couldn't issue a ticket. Unless he issued it to me for improper lane
usage.
> Funny guy. In hindsight, I could have sued the State DOT and the
> contractor, but...that was another time.
>
> Interesting thoughts on the shoulder belt/convertible issue. My wife's
> Mustang does have the shoulder belt design; I don't think they can be used
> only as lap belts.
>
> Terry Banbury
>
> > ----------
> > From: Susan Hensley[SMTP:susan@bearcom.com]
> > Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2000 10:46 AM
> > To: Banbury, Terrence
> > Subject: Re: Sensible advice please
> >
> > "Banbury, Terrence" wrote:
> > >
> > > This brings up a curious thought. I have read the descriptions of
> > > 'encounters' with large vehicles. I've had one myself. No one was
> > injured
> > > beyond being bruised. Is this just that we don't hear about the more
> > > serious injuries or is there some kind of LBC voodoo going on here?
Is
> > this
> > > lack of serious injury the norm? Don't want to get gruesome or
> > anything,
> > > though.
> > > Terry
> >
> > Hi Terry!
> >
> > I have had two Spitfires that I have logged many miles on (my first one
> > I drove for Domino's Pizza every day for over two years and also all
> > over Louisiana and parts of Texas) and had a front-end collision in the
> > first one at about 35 mph (IDIOT ran a stop sign on a wet street right
> > in front of me), and I was not hurt in the collision at all, except a
> > bang on my knee from flying up into the dash support.
> >
> > In all of my experience with Triumphs (since the early 80's) and Triumph
> > people, I have never personally heard of anyone who was killed,
> > seriously injured, or hospitalized from a wreck in one. A friend's
> > brother flipped his Datsun roadster on the TX highway at a high rate of
> > speed last year, and walked away, and I personally saw the horrendous
> > damage to the car -- not one body panel left unbent. The passenger
> > compartment was relatively intact, though.
> >
> > I would put money on the safety of a properly-belted person in a Spit in
> > a front- or rear-end collision, but I suspect a side collision (like
> > someone running a red light) would not have the same odds. And by
> > properly-belted, I mean a lap belt only. In a convertible, a shoulder
> > harness is insurance for getting your head torn off in the event of a
> > roll-over, since it keeps you strapped up and not able to be flung over
> > into the passenger side and away from contact with the ground. I know
> > there are all kinds of arguements for and against shoulder belts in
> > convertibles, and how often do you get rolled over vs. rearended and put
> > your face into the steering wheel, and I am not intending to open a can
> > of worms with this comment. I have a lap belt only in Elliott, and
> > that's the way it's going to stay. I like my head.
> >
> > Keep Triumphing,
> > Susan :)
> >
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