antisocial pessimist

Jack Black did more of Hit Me Baby One More Time, and I am living for this.

I gotta naysay here. Seatbelts do a LOT of harm. Not everyone can wear one  and not everyone wants to risk it. Just among my own friends and people I know in general; 4 females had a breast cut completely or partially off due to a seat belt. 6 people had their throats cut, to an obviously non-lethal degree. 2 had their stomach’s cut open to a horrifying degree that I won’t elaborate on.

Not even counting the uncomfortably awkward belt locations for particularly large, small, fat, skinny people. Females with large breasts get the joy of holding the belt in place or adjusting it every couple seconds.

These make it so that your seat belt won’t cut your neck, a simple sleeve of padded fabric that velcros around it, meaning you can put it anywhere on the belt. 

This one does something similar, by readjusting the positioning of the seat belt to move it farther away from your neck and hey, helps a bit with having boobs in the way.

They even make ones for children too.

Boobs still in the way? While it’s pretty silly looking, this helps keep the seat belt in place so you don’t have to keep adjusting it.

And if you’re overweight, they make seat belt extenders so you can still be safe. 

But maybe you’re still unsure, then listen to the CDC and all of their sources. 

“More than half of the people killed in car crashes were not restrained at the time of the crash.1 Wearing a seat belt is the most effective way to prevent death and serious injury in a crash.Seat belt use is on the rise. Laws, education, and technology have increased seat belt use from 11% in 19812 to nearly 85% in 20103, saving hundreds of thousands of lives. “

“Most drivers and passengers killed in crashes are unrestrained. 53% of drivers and passengers killed in car crashes in 2009 were not wearing restraints.1Seat belts dramatically reduce risk of death and serious injury. Among drivers and front-seat passengers, seat belts reduce the risk of death by 45%, and cut the risk of serious injury by 50%.4Seat belts prevent drivers and passengers from being ejected during a crash. People not wearing a seat belt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during a crash. More than 3 out of 4 people who are ejected during a fatal crash die from their injuries.5Seat belts save thousands of lives each year, and increasing use would save thousands more. Seat belts saved almost 13,000 lives in 2009. If all drivers and passengers had worn seat belts that year, almost 4,000 more people would be alive today”

Or this one

“ The number of those who escaped injury [by wearing a seat belt] increased by 40% and those with mild and moderate injuries decreased by 35% after seatbelt legislation. There was a significant reduction in soft tissue injuries to the head. Only whiplash injuries to the neck showed a significant increase.”

Or this

“ Fifty-five percent of those killed in passenger vehicle occupant crashes in 2008 were not wearing a seat belt…”

“Wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by almost 50%. For children, the risk of fatal injury is reduced by 71% with the use of child safety seats.“

“Of those thrown completely out of a vehicle in a car crash, 75% died. Only one percent of people totally ejected from their cars had on a seat belt during the crash. Over 30% were not wearing seat belts.“

Conclusion? Wear your fucking seat belt. Tell your kids to wear their fucking seat belt. Tell your friends and family to wear their fucking seat belts. Time and time again it’s been proven that you are significantly more likely to survive a crash if you’re wearing one. Most people think they’re uncomfortable, but when you’re in a crash it can save your life. I’d rather be mildly injured than dead.

When they first introduced Helmets to the troops fighting in trenches the number of head injuries suddenly skyrocketed and people wanted to take the helmets away again.

Until they realized that the reason for this was the fact that most of these head injuries would have been fatal if it wasn’t for the Helmets.

It drives me nuts, personally, that all of the adults who insisted that I wear a seatbelt as a child Now as adults refuse to wear seatbelts themselves. Now I have to sit there and play the grown up to people 30 plus years older than me insisting they put their seatbelt on every time I’m the driver. I just took a road trip with my parents, and literally it was every single time we got in the car I had to tell them (My mom in particular, who kept randomly just taking her seatbelt off while we were zooming down I-95 and made a big face every time I told her to put it back on - you’d think after a while she’d figure out that she could not do it secretly, because I have a newer car and the moment a passenger takes their seat belt off while the car is moving it starts screaming at you until the person puts their seatbelt back on).

One involved us skidding on ice, rolling over, and hitting a frozen pond hard enough to crack the ice and start to sink.

The other involved us getting T-boned because a lady blew right through a stop sign at top speed.

In the first one, the only one injured was the family dog, who couldn’t wear a seat belt and was thrown out the back window. My mother, siblings, and I were all wearing seatbelts.

In the second, my mother suffered several broken ribs and brusing to her arm, hip, and neck. Her husband behind her was okay.

We were all wearing seatbelts.

I hate riding in cars and refused to go on school trips as a small child because the school buses didn’t have seatbelts.

Had somebody NOT been wearing a seatbelt during the first crash, they would’ve been thrown against the ceiling and the side windows.

Had my mother not been wearing a seatbelt during the second crash, she would’ve been thrown across the car and into me.

Had her husband not been wearing a seatbelt during the second crash he would’ve been thrown across the car and into the window.

That is why I have one of these attached to my rearview mirror:

It’s called a Resqme, a combination window-breaker and seatbelt-cutter.

I haven’t had to use it, but apparently it does work:

Do not work on your days off.

"But--"

Do not “answer a few emails” on your vacation

Do not work off the clock

Bonus below cut:

Rest in peace to the incredible Anthony Stewart Head (20th February 1954 - 1st June 2026)

Hi y'all! 

For about a year now this news has been officially [redacted], but now it's free. My debut YA novel, BORDERLINE, was acquired by Union Square Kids, an imprint of Hatchette Book Group, and is scheduled to hit shelves next summer 2027. Also they mentioned my blog in the official announcement, as you can see, which is hilarious. Anyway. 

I'm really excited to have a book out in the world soon! BORDERLINE was actually kind of built by the blog, considering my beta readers were all followers who volunteered. (Beta readers: expect a separate email). So many people have been so kind about my work here, my future work, and this whole process, so THANK YOU, first and foremost. 

If you've liked what I do here, it would mean the world to me to have your continued support! Tell your online friends, tell your real life friends, tell your library, etc etc! My instagram will shortly be transforming into an author page, so if the mood strikes you, please give me a follow @lilia.vc ! This alone would be an enormous, enormous help. 

Finally, if you have any questions please send them my way! Thanks again, keep writing, and as always, stay weird.