Is this really true? (safety content)

My wife was talking today to an acquaintance whose daughter recently rolled her car on black ice (and walked away, thankfully.) When the car was stopped & on its roof, she was hanging upside down in her seatbelt, and – here's the part I don't get – the seatbelt wouldn't release "until she put the car in gear," which I'm assuming is Mom-speak for "put the car in Park."

Is this really true? You can't get out of a modern seatbelt unless the car is in Park? Our newest car is an '05 MPV, which was an old design by that time, so I'm a bit out of touch with Current Trends in Passive Protection, but what's up with this?

Suppose you drive off the road into water and have to get out really, really soon? It's going to be tough enough to remember everything Adam Savage showed you about what to do in this situation without also remembering to put the damn thing in Park.

Knowledgeable information welcomed!

I'm guessing that hanging down in the seatbelt put enough tension on the buckle that the belt could not be released. Simply moving around to put the car "in gear" was enough to shift her weight so that the belt could be released.

Not entirely sure how that would happen, but I know if there's enough tension on the buckle it is hard/impossible to release it.

More likely is gravity was making the buckle too tight to release.

sounds about right. reminds me of those people with runaway Toyota's that somehow didn't remember that all they had to do was calmly push and hold the "start" button for 5 seconds to get the car to shut off- while their car was accelerating out of control and wouldn't allow them to put the trans in neutral..

novaderrik wrote: sounds about right. reminds me of those people with runaway Toyota's that somehow didn't remember that all they had to do was calmly push and hold the "start" button for 5 seconds to get the car to shut off- while their car was accelerating out of control and wouldn't allow them to put the trans in neutral..

You can't just turn the key and shut it off?

jimbob_racing wrote: You can't just turn the key and shut it off?

No. And in many cases, there was no key, just some electronic doo-dad that gets plugged into the dash.

I would love to see a recall where the fix is to install a racing-style red battery-disconnect lever in the dashboard. Stylish and functional!

peter wrote:

jimbob_racing wrote: You can't just turn the key and shut it off?

No. And in many cases, there was no key, just some electronic doo-dad that gets plugged into the dash. I would love to see a recall where the fix is to install a racing-style red battery-disconnect lever in the dashboard. Stylish and functional!

peter wrote:

jimbob_racing wrote: You can't just turn the key and shut it off?

No. And in many cases, there was no key, just some electronic doo-dad that gets plugged into the dash. I would love to see a recall where the fix is to install a racing-style red battery-disconnect lever in the dashboard. Stylish and functional!

This.

the whole point of the push button ignition switch was to make it look like a race car- a big red battery disconnect mounted in the middle of the dash would just be continuing that theme and make the new Toyota Camry just like the NASCAR version..

peter wrote:

jimbob_racing wrote: You can't just turn the key and shut it off?

No. And in many cases, there was no key, just some electronic doo-dad that gets plugged into the dash. I would love to see a recall where the fix is to install a racing-style red battery-disconnect lever in the dashboard. Stylish and functional!

Yea, but on the Prius you need a good old Dr. Frankenstein's lab style switch cutoff switch.

I don't think Park is related to seat belts. Find the same car and try it, now you know.

Now, DRLs, that's another issue! Why not make the day time running lights connected to the shifter? Hey, warming up the SUV, why annoy the neighbors? Oy!

Seriously, I believe gravity and addrenalin was in play here.

Dan

peter wrote:

jimbob_racing wrote: You can't just turn the key and shut it off?

No. And in many cases, there was no key, just some electronic doo-dad that gets plugged into the dash. I would love to see a recall where the fix is to install a racing-style red battery-disconnect lever in the dashboard. Stylish and functional!

And it would match the racing style push button starters!

914Driver wrote: I don't think Park is related to seat belts. Find the same car and try it, now you know. Now, DRLs, that's another issue! Why not make the day time running lights connected to the shifter? Hey, warming up the SUV, why annoy the neighbors? Oy! Seriously, I believe gravity and addrenalin was in play here. Dan

Lots of cars have them wired to the e-brake -- but if you don't have a manual transmission I guess that's not an entirely useful feature for the neighbour's sake.

"Find the same car and try it, now you know."

Good advice, but it will take some research. I was simply laughed at when I asked my wife what kind of car it was. Apparently the only thing of interest to the participants in the original discussion was the health of the people involved.

But she did report that the idea of putting it in Park came from a paramedic on the scene who had encountered this before.