RE: Seat Belts
John raises a point that is often ignored about the value of seat belts:
they keep you in font of the controls on the vehicle during violent
maneuvers.  Ask any race driver or especially rally drivers how important
their harness is for their ability to maintain control.  "Hang in the belts"
has a real meaning there.  When seat belts were first being introduced in
passenger vehicles one of the arguments put forward for their value was that
they would keep the driver behind the wheel and make it possible for a
driver to sometimes drive out of bad situations.  This was especially
important in the days when most passenger cars had smooth bench seats and
driver and passengers alike would be thrown all over the place in sudden
maneuvers.  One of the most common mistakes that inexperienced or poorly
trained drivers make is to stiffen their arms and hold themselves in place
with their arms thus minimizing their control of the vehicle.  That's one of
the most common reasons that young drivers go off the road in a curve, they
were using their arms to keep themselves in place and couldn't steer. We, in
our Vanagons, are no different.

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