Bus belts comfier than you think

Dear editor: Re: Take the ride, take your chances, Herald, Letters, July 31

To my good friend Tom, so sorry to hear that you had two accidents that were not your fault but you must admit being thrown out of your car was not the fault of the person who hit you.

Seatbelts have been one of the major reasons so many folks have survived accidents, caused by their neglect in driving and/or others’ neglect.

I for one have been bemused by the fact that all motor vehicles are restricted to seat belts, but for some reasons buses were not. Think about it, a large vehicle carrying 50plus passengers and no safety protection if the bus gets into an accident, including going off of the highway and rolling over and over again. We see report ongoing about how many folks are injured and or killed because of these types of accidents.

This past winter, I went to Vancouver via Greyhound, which I use in winter condition going to the coast. On the way back we boarded at Coquitlam and were notified that Greyhound had chartered a bus as they were short of regular buses.

This bus had seatbelts. The driver notified all passengers that while the bus was in motion, all passengers must have their seatbelts on. I thought, wow, this is what all buses should have.

Now the ride home was in fact very pleasurable, the seatbelt kept you from leaning back and forth and side to side when the bus went around corners. Not uncomfortable at all. It also gave me a sense of being safe in a vehicle that if it was in an accident could throw me up down and around inside the bus unlike a car which does not have such high ceilings above you and room around you.

So, Tom, my good friend, try it before you knock it and please buckle up. I would really miss your stinky slinky letters if you were to be thrown a third time out of your car –powered by stinky slinky oil that you hate so much. Bob Otway Penticton