Joined: Oct 06, 2014 Posts: 252 Location: South Dakota - Aberdeen
Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 9:56 am Post subject: Seat Belts
I'm trying to decide if lap belts would be a good idea. I'm about 5 miles from town and my wife is always nervous riding with me and also nervous about having the kids in the back seat. I feel if it rolled, belts would be bad, but for a collision, they would be good. Just looking for some opinions. _________________ Aaron
1950 M38 - #MC11328, 24volt, 1948 CJ2A (Lefty)
Joined: Mar 13, 2006 Posts: 1079 Location: Richburg, SC
Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 11:44 am Post subject:
There are a bunch of different schools of thought here. Personally, I go for originality on everything UNLESS it improves reliability or safety. I have installed solid state regulator and ignition for reliability and turn signals for safety. Seat belts are on the list, although I am still on the fence with them. I also don't let my daughter ride (on the street) in my '54 'a1 because it doesn't have seat belts. She can ride in it on the street if I have the winter enclosure doors installed. Rollover is not really a concern because I don't drive fast on the road and don't drive anywhere stupid or try to do stupid things offroad (climbing steep hills, crossing side slopes or speeding around corners).
My 1964 USMC 'a1 had them installed when I bought the Jeep, so I will leave them on it. In SC if the car didn't have them installed as original equipment, you don't HAVE to install them to be street legal. _________________ Matt
1953 M38a1
1964 USMC M38a1
'51 USMC M100 trailer, '54 M100 trailer, '90 M101a1 trailer
Http://wilfreeman.wordpress.com (M38a1 build blog)
http://m38a1usmc.wordpress.com (USMC M38a1 rebuild blog)
Joined: Jun 17, 2012 Posts: 159 Location: Minnesota
Posted: Tue Jul 18, 2017 12:18 pm Post subject:
There has been a lot of discussion about this issue, do a search and you will get an eyefull! Personally, I don't want to be anywhere near a jeep during a rollover, there is no overhead protection. I would prefer to be thrown clear, if possible. In other vehicles, I ALWAYS use a belt. My two cents. _________________ Dan Schultz
MD20035 9/1952
MC70324 dod 6/52
GPW 14944 dod 4/10/42
K38 Linemans Trailer 4/43
M100 Trailer 01177488 dod 8/51
Joined: Oct 06, 2014 Posts: 252 Location: South Dakota - Aberdeen
Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 8:25 am Post subject:
skyjeep50 wrote:
Does your state have seat belt Laws? Mine does, no belts, you get stopped.
In South Dakota, if the vehicle didn't originally come with seat belts, or is older then a certain year (which i can't remember), they are not required. _________________ Aaron
1950 M38 - #MC11328, 24volt, 1948 CJ2A (Lefty)
SDCL 32-38 - SAFETY BELT SYSTEM USAGE IN PASSENGER VEHICLES
SDCL 32-37 - CHILD PASSENGER RESTRAINT SYSTEM
Who is required to wear a safety belt in South Dakota?
Every operator and front seat passenger of a passenger vehicle operated on a public highway in this state shall wear a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system, required to be installed in the passenger vehicle when manufactured pursuant to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Number 208 (49 C.F.R. 571.208) in effect January 1, 1989, at all times when the vehicle is in forward motion. The driver of the passenger vehicle shall secure or cause to be secured a properly adjusted and fastened safety seat belt system on any passenger in the front seat who is at least five years of age but younger than eighteen years of age.
What types of vehicles are considered "passenger vehicles"?
A passenger vehicle is any self-propelled vehicle intended primarily for use and operation on the public highways including passenger cars, station wagons, vans, taxicabs, emergency vehicles, motor homes, trucks, and pickups. The term does not include motorcycles, motor scooters, motor bicycles, motorized bicycles, passenger buses, and school buses. Farm tractors or implements of husbandry designed primarily or exclusively for farm operations are also not considered passenger vehicles.
Are there any exceptions to the requirement to wear safety belts?
South Dakota's law provides for several exceptions to the requirement to wear safety belts:
If your vehicle was manufactured before September 1, 1973;
If you have a written statement from your doctor describing a medical reason why you should not wear a safety belt;
If you are a passenger in a vehicle that was not equipped with safety belts because federal law didn't require them when it was manufactured;
If you are a rural mail carrier for the United States Postal Service, while delivering mail; or any person delivering periodicals or newspapers on an assigned home delivery route.
What is the fine if I'm ticketed for not wearing a safety belt?
The fine is only $25 (July 1, 2008), but the consequences of not wearing a safety belt could be even greater. If you are involved in a traffic crash while not wearing a safety belt, your odds of being injured or killed increase dramatically.
Has the passage of he safety belt law made any difference in safety belt use in South Dakota?
It has had a very positive impact on seat belt use. Prior to 1994, South Dakota had one of the lowest safety belt usage rates in the United States, with only 26% of front seat passengers choosing to buckle up. Since the passage of the safety belt law, seat belt usage has been steadily increasing. A statewide survey conducted in 1998 showed the usage rate at 43% statewide. A recent observational survey in 2007 indicated a safety belt use rate of 73%. To see how South Dakota's seatbelt compliance has evolved, see Seat Belt Surveys.
The shoulder harness on my seat belt rubs against my neck and bothers me. Is it ok for me to put the shoulder strap behind my back or under my arm to keep it out of the way?
Absolutely not! Don't do it! Besides being against the law, this is very dangerous. The safety belt law requires the safety belt system to be properly fastened and adjusted. Failure to use safety belts the way they are designed reduces their effectiveness, and could result in serious injury or death.
Skyjeep could have gave us the long version but he tried to keep it simple!
Long version: If a police officers observes a driver or front seat passenger not wearing a seat belt and suspects they may be in violation of the seat belt law he may stop them and investigate.
Short version: no belts, you get stopped.
Short version does not say you get cited or arrested. It says you get stopped. Then for those on the ball they will grasp that after you get stopped the officer will determine if you are violating the seat belt law. _________________ Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100
Joined: Oct 02, 2014 Posts: 1905 Location: South Carolina, Dorchester County
Posted: Thu Jul 20, 2017 9:18 pm Post subject:
When I know I haven't done anything wrong, I don't mind at all being stopped by a deputy. And when I've done something stupid I don't mind either. The few times I've been stopped usually results in a rather pleasant conversation, ticket or not. I figure with all the shenanigans going on out there on the road nowadays if all he has to do is stop a 65 year old truck with a 62 year old driver (seat belts or not) then he's having a good day and that's ok by me.
Who in this hobby would put an old jeep on the road without first knowing the law? Not me. Got too much invested.
Hey Brian --- there's plenty of room in this box. I hope you stay. Somebody has to keep Wes on his game! I've heard it called "poke the bear", followed by "duck and cover".
If I could buy you both a cold beverage I would ! _________________ Ron D.
1951 M38 Unknown Serial Number
1951 M100 Dunbar Kapple 01169903 dod 5-51
“The only good sports car that America ever made was the Jeep."
--- Enzo Ferrari
Joined: Oct 02, 2014 Posts: 1905 Location: South Carolina, Dorchester County
Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 7:28 am Post subject:
My M38 has front lap belts put on by the previous owner that are well installed on hooks and eye-bolts with the proper 3-inch heavy reinforcing washers on the back sides. They can easily be removed and stowed. I was thinking I'd leave them on most of the time, but don't intend to use them myself on the streets.
In South Carolina, if the vehicle didn't come from the factory with belts then they're not required. What's not clear to me, and I may have to stop a deputy to ask ---- if non-factory belts are present, can I be ticketed for not using them? I suspect the answer will be "yes", so I guess I'm going to keep them stowed.
Same thing on turn signals. The M38 didn't come with factory turn signals so South Carolina doesn't require them, but I have them now. I'm pretty sure I can be ticketed for not using them. I guess I'll ask the deputy if I give a hand and arm signal, can I be ticketed for not using the lights? _________________ Ron D.
1951 M38 Unknown Serial Number
1951 M100 Dunbar Kapple 01169903 dod 5-51
“The only good sports car that America ever made was the Jeep."
--- Enzo Ferrari
Joined: Feb 20, 2007 Posts: 606 Location: Illinois
Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 9:56 am Post subject:
Wear or wear not, your decision. But the "sky" in my handle is a reference to my pilot's license. Even through I mostly have flown enclosed cabin aircraft, I always belt up. No cop is going to pull me over while flying to cite me for not using my seatbelt - but the belt is there for a reason - to hold me at the controls. Yes, while learning aerobatics in an open-cockpit biplane - the restraint harness came in very handy. The powered parachute with a 4" aluminum tube between my legs for a fuselage - the belt was welcome security from 1,000 ft of open air. Practicing recovery from "unusual attitudes" at night and on instruments, my instructor liked to really make me hang it out there. Face it, we are sometimes not the masters of our own destiny. Next time you are cruising along in your jeep and a texting teenager wanders into your lane and you have nowhere to go but to jump a curb and cruise the ditch, are you going to be able to hold on long enough to bring it to a stop? How about the 4 year old girl on her bicycle that emerges from between two parked cars - this time no time to stop - your ability to stay at the wheel may mean the difference between her being a "statistic" and you having to take a few deep breaths. Deer popping out of a corn field - well hello! A miss is as good as a mile. I'm wearing my seatbelt, don't care if it's legal or not. _________________ 1951 M38
Joined: Oct 02, 2014 Posts: 1905 Location: South Carolina, Dorchester County
Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 11:04 am Post subject:
I agree Sky. I always wear my belt in regular modern cars, airliners, and everything that has one available. How did people ever survive before 1965? Isn't that when the feds got involved and forced vehicle makers to put belts in and the states started making it against the law not to use them? I get heartburn when I think about government stealing yet another piece of my freedom "for my own good" by treating me as if I'm stupid and unable to make a decision that concerns my well-being for myself.
I think safety equipment like belts and airbags would come naturally with the free market demand for them, a good thing. But I resent the government interdiction. All an insurance company has to do is put a statement in the policy: "if we haul you out of a wreck without a belt on your policy is null and void" and let us decide for ourselves.
As for the jeep, it's a tough decision, especially with the higher roll-over potential. But given the law about old jeeps and seat belts, for once it looks like I have the freedom to make the choice for myself. And the way my M38 is set up, it takes 5 seconds to yank them out of the glove box and use them if it suits me.
My Dad, a combat infantryman, always loved the jeep, in part because he said it was easy to un-a$$ when you need to. Try to get out of a Hummer.
Good conversation! _________________ Ron D.
1951 M38 Unknown Serial Number
1951 M100 Dunbar Kapple 01169903 dod 5-51
“The only good sports car that America ever made was the Jeep."
--- Enzo Ferrari
Joined: Feb 09, 2014 Posts: 178 Location: Tri Cities, Washington
Posted: Fri Jul 21, 2017 11:38 am Post subject:
I put some in the front only, I don't get too many passengers. I like them just to keep me at the controls. It's a false sense of security, cause if some one else hits me with a bigger vehicle, it could be bad. I like them. _________________ Rusty, 1952 M38, Koenig hard top.
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I've heard it called "poke the bear", followed by "duck and cover". 
