Why did this happen? OT

[markba633csi]

Just reading about two teenagers killed in a local car crash, they were in a 2018 Mercedes. Sounds as if they didn't have their belts on. I'm sure the airbags went off but I thought a car that new would have some nanny features like ignition lockout until belts fastened? Maybe not
Terrible shame though, they were only 16 and 17. I feel bad for their parents.
-Mark

 

[SLK001]

Yeah, tragic, but stupid is as stupid does. Ignition lockouts were removed from most cars in the 1970's.

 

[MrWhoopee]

Ignition lockouts were removed from most cars in the 1970's.

My daughter had one on her car just a couple of years ago. It was court ordered.

 

[Janderso]

Terrible, a parents nightmare. I hope they weren't siblings.

 

[jbolt]

I have seen the aftermath of high speed accidents where air bags and seat belts didn't make the slightest difference. There are numerous ways to meet ones demise in a car despite any safety systems.

 

[FOMOGO]

We often like to think of ourselves as pretty tough, but physics all to often dispels that myth. Mike

 

[aliva]

With out knowing the details, We were all teenager's once, we were invincible.

 

[Aaron_W]

Just reading about two teenagers killed in a local car crash, they were in a 2018 Mercedes. Sounds as if they didn't have their belts on. I'm sure the airbags went off but I thought a car that new would have some nanny features like ignition lockout until belts fastened? Maybe not
Terrible shame though, they were only 16 and 17. I feel bad for their parents.
-Mark

I have a 2008 and 2014 (not Mercedes) and all that happens if a belt isn't fastened is you get an annoying light and buzzer (more of a chime actually). My Subaru is particularly fussy so I get it a lot just by putting something on the seat (small bag of groceries will set it off). I can often get around this by starting the car before putting anything on the seat, because once it is running the alarm won't trip. Removing a seat belt after the car is running probably works the same way.

My oldest just got his learners permit. While I am surprised that he waited so long, I can't say I wasn't kind of relived that he wasn't in a hurry to start driving. I know the kind of nonsense I got up to when I was a young driver, and there was some luck was involved that I didn't have any serious accidents. It certainly wasn't due to a lot of good sense on my part. That said I am a fanatical seat belt wearer and have been from a young age.

Airbags are only effective on the initial impact, so with no seat belts they may as well have been driving a car from the 1940s after the airbags deployed.

 

[markba633csi]

I've heard a person's decision-making ability isn't fully formed until age 25 or so and sometimes not even then
I know mine still had a ways to go at that age
-M

 

[Larry$]

We've had several teenagers killed here. In all cases they were not wearing a seat belt. In one case less than a mile from my house they were racing a train at the crossing, seatbelt wouldn't matter against a 65mph Amtrak. One of my employees had to quit driving the rural emergency rescue unit. Couldn't take seeing what happened to many people he knew.