I post this from the home of a friend I often visit. The drive takes me about two hours or so on a good day, or up to four hours if the metropolitan traffic is really bad. I want very much to abide by the law that requires me to wear a seatbelt, but on these long drives the shoulder harness rides up, gets stuck over the breast, and starts to saw into my neck. I pull it down, and it inevitably winds up back at the same spot, rubbing, chafing and generally driving me insane. Sooner or later I get so fed up with the business that I unhook the whole thing, leaving myself vulnerable in the case of an accident. I propose the addition of an adjustable and then fixable slide that the shoulder harness feeds through to make the released section fit properly to the driver. This slide could be attached by removable snaps (retrofit), or could be integrated into the door support beam ( I know that is not the term, but I refuse to call it a thingy, and anyway, you all know where the shoulder strap comes out) of a new car. The snap fit should not cause any problems in case of accidents, because they can release as quickly as an airbag with a certain amount of torque.-- Rm Brz, Sep 13 2006 Many new cars have something they call "height-adjustable seat belts". I don't know what the actual mechanism is, though.-- jutta, Sep 13 2006 Question to the male readership: How gender-specific is this? Do your seatbelts fit?
I'm somewhat tall for a woman, but I certainly know the problem and wish I could adjust my seat belt downwards; yet all I get when searching for "seat belts for women" is a funny, funny cartoon that shows a woman with a belt across her mouth and a smiling man next to her. Wow.-- jutta, Sep 14 2006 No problem here, but I'm well over 6'.
I've seen this as a seat-mounted sliding guide and as a body-mounted slide (the whole feed slides (Toyota RAV4)). My Corolla has them in the back only to accomodate kids and baby seats. Also, pick a patent, there are many that address this issue. It is a good idea, though.-- Shz, Sep 14 2006 My car is pretty bottom-of-the-range and was built in '92. It has these on all four 3-point seatbelts.-- squeak, Sep 14 2006 Forgot - Baked-- squeak, Sep 14 2006 I have always just stuck it under my armpit. I can't drive with it across my chest.-- xandram, Sep 14 2006 Thinking about this while driving this morning: The way I sit, with the seat back and reclined, most of the time I'm not in contact with the shoulder strap at all. No wonder it doesn't bother me.-- Shz, Sep 14 2006 //I have always just stuck it under my armpit. I can't drive with it across my chest.//
And that won't protect you at all. Research has apparently proved that a seatbelt that is not worn correctly causes more damage than not wearing one at all. In a serious impact, you would probably find, among other things, your arm would be ripped off.
I don't know about where you are, but if you get caught like that here in the uk, you would get in trouble with the Police, fined and points on youe licence.-- webfishrune, Sep 14 2006 I'm in Mass. where the drivers are called MassHoles. You are probably right about the safety thing, but I mostly wear it so I won't get a ticket!-- xandram, Sep 15 2006 I have never seen these. I was driving a "99 Ford Explorer at the time. Does not have these. Nor does my classic "88 Volvo 240; a car that was far ahead of it's time.-- Rm Brz, Sep 17 2006 random, halfbakery