Love my Maverick, but it's annoying to use for Uber

[Maverickent]

ER attendants that harvest organs for transplant love to see motorists not wearing seat belts, and bikers not wearing helmets. Future donors.

If someone is in a crash, in which someone is not effectively using his/her/their seatbelt, and if the airbag deploys, that person will be critically injured and their insurance will likely not cover the injured. It's also likely that any facial organs will not be suitable for transplant. I am begging you to wear your seatbelt every trip.

Sponsored

 

[Maverickent]

What do you do when the other drivers are driving aggressively?

I implore everyone to use their seatbelts.

 

[Saxapl]

If someone is in a crash, in which someone is not effectively using his/her/their seatbelt, and if the airbag deploys, that person will be critically injured and their insurance will likely not cover the injured. It's also likely that any facial organs will not be suitable for transplant. I am begging you to wear your seatbelt every trip.

I would like to see that contract language. I know of no case in which failure to wear a seatbelt was basis for insurance to not pay, but insurance is a contract. So I am sure it is a possibility if the contracts says so.

But I doubt that is the reason some are adamant about seatbelt usage and I doubt it would be the primary factor for those adamant against seatbelt usage.

 

[Maverickent]

I have not seen that language in a policy either, so call your insurer to ask them and get back to us. I'm just trying to encourage people to use the safety features which have been proven to protect them in crashes. Which is good, right?

 

[Saxapl]

I have not seen that language in a policy either, so call your insurer to ask them and get back to us. I'm just trying to encourage people to use the safety features which have been proven to protect them in crashes. Which is good, right?

I’m not judging the quest. Good and bad are relative and nothing is purely good or purely bad (in this context). If you feel passionate about getting people to wear seatbelts, you should carry on. The world need passionate people to advance their beliefs.

My policy does not have a “we don’t pay if the seatbelt is not worn” provision.

 

[Hoagus]

Weird, I hope I find the solution. I never wear seatbelts unless Im driving aggressively. If I see a cop I will put my arm through it but thats it. I will disable the speakers and the screens before I wear belts all the time.

Ever been through a windshield?

 

[Sleeper 7]

As the post says, I signed up for Uber to get a little bit of cash before I head internationally in a few weeks. Anyways the biggest annoyance with it, is the seatbelt reminders, if someone buckles their seatbelt, the car thinks there's someone there, makes sense. However when they unbuckle and get out of the car, it will just keep pestering you that a passenger has their seatbelt undone even though they're not in the car. One passenger accidentally plugged into the back center seat and then redid it in the proper buckle, and the entire ride (< 2 miles) the car was beeping about it. Anyways, just figured I'd post about it, and maybe be presented with a solution.

(P.S. I've tried the seatbelt beep disable instructions in the manual and on the forum multiple times, doesn't work for me)

The manual is wrong. Key on parking brake on buckle/unbuckle 4 times. Use the display in the center cluster as a guide. About 3 second delay between buckle/unbuckle when seat belt light blinks you got it. Can do passenger seat from drivers side also.

 

[Mavapa]

My wife was in a car wreck in 1981. She was not wearing her seatbelt, and was thrown from the car. She was not breathing at the scene, but a passing driver happened to be a doctor. He stopped and saved her life. Unfortunately, she had suffered a serious brain injury and is still feeling the effects today. Loss of her sense of smell is the least serious, somewhere behind memory and other cognitive problems that are now getting worse. The inconvenience of wearing a seatbelt seems a reasonable trade for lowering the probability of that kind of injury.

But everyone can make their bets however they want.

 

[MesaMav]

The fix is very simple actually. I had this issue anytime I drove my elderly mother around. I bought these seatbelt extenders so she could buckle her belt more easily but a happy coincidence was that these fooled the computer into thinking the belt was always buckled
I bought seat belt extenders.
Cheap and easy fix. About 12 dollars a pair on Amazon.

 

[Jakb]

I’m not judging the quest. Good and bad are relative and nothing is purely good or purely bad (in this context). If you feel passionate about getting people to wear seatbelts, you should carry on. The world need passionate people to advance their beliefs.

My policy does not have a “we don’t pay if the seatbelt is not worn” provision.

Incidentally hung out with one of my relatives today and this conversation came up. He works in insurance and deals with car insurance. He said there typically is only one place a seatbelt is specifically called out in a policy.

This is a quote from my car policy:

The benefits shown in the [Death, dismemberment and loss of sight] schedules are doubled for an insured who at the time of the accident was occupying a private passenger car and using a seat belt in the manner recommended by the vehicle’s manufacturer

Outside of that he said it is just "ammo" for the lawyers and adjusters. Depending on the state it can be used to claim:

• That you lost control because you weren't belted in
• The seatbelt made you distracted
• That you made the accident worse because no belt
• That any damage or injuries were entirely caused or made worse by no seatbelt so it doesn't count
  • Which if you hit a certain threshold (usually 50%) you are no longer entitled to anything
• You break laws or lie because "if he isn't following seatbelt law what other laws is he breaking"
• You lied and your truck betrays you when they pull the metadata from the computer

Any of the above things can reduce or eliminate a benefit for you.

Ford help you if you live in a contributory negligence state.
That means if you have any fault, its a full denial. That is a slam dunk for a lawyer/adjuster.

More details here:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclop...i-still-make-a-car-accident-injury-claim.html

 

[Maverickman74]

Can't say I agree with you, but to each his own. I've been in three wrecks in my life, in one the seat belt would not have mattered in the other two I would have been dead no question.

My son is also an avid seat belt hater, and it bothers us a lot but he is old enough to make his own choices, so we don't argue about it. I'll always wear mine and if you don't well, that's your choice and I wish you continued good luck.

Wish your son good luck too. Good driving plays a big part. I hold a CDL and do wear a belt when I would drive commercially.

Ever been through a windshield?

No, but one did smash into me along with the dash and steering wheel. Good thing I slid out of the seat a bit and was pushed into the back of the van. There was no room for a living body in that seat.

 

[Bodageta]

Drive attentively, as always lol. Only accidents I've had were when I was young and wasnt paying attention. I pay attention now, even more so with my wife in the car. Most of the time I have no clue what she is saying while Im driving, I ask her for details at stoplights .

Also on I survived 2 wrecks not driving, 2 wrecks driving, all with no seat belt. A old girlfreind was nearly choked to death by a shoulder belt while upside down.

I know I know, anecdotal shame or ticket me all you want, It wont change my driving style. Unless average speeds double.

I think freedom should give personal choice. What if a law is passed requiring seatbelts on motorcycles, would folks just honor that? I lean toward seatbelt use but it’s a soft lean. It depends on the type of accident and nobody knows what type that will be until it happens. I’m also a vehicle engineer.

 

[Saxapl]

Incidentally hung out with one of my relatives today and this conversation came up. He works in insurance and deals with car insurance. He said there typically is only one place a seatbelt is specifically called out in a policy.

This is a quote from my car policy:


Outside of that he said it is just "ammo" for the lawyers and adjusters. Depending on the state it can be used to claim:

• That you lost control because you weren't belted in
• The seatbelt made you distracted
• That you made the accident worse because no belt
• That any damage or injuries were entirely caused or made worse by no seatbelt so it doesn't count
  • Which if you hit a certain threshold (usually 50%) you are no longer entitled to anything
• You break laws or lie because "if he isn't following seatbelt law what other laws is he breaking"
• You lied and your truck betrays you when they pull the metadata from the computer

Any of the above things can reduce or eliminate a benefit for you.

Ford help you if you live in a contributory negligence state.
That means if you have any fault, its a full denial. That is a slam dunk for a lawyer/adjuster.

More details here:
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclop...i-still-make-a-car-accident-injury-claim.html

Check local listings and never trust the internet.

While what you said may be true in some locales, it is not universal law-as you pointed out.

In my state, it will not be used to deny a claim. Because we are so plaintiff friendly, we even have a statute:

Sec. 12-603.1. Driver and passenger required to use safety belts, exceptions and penalty
(c) Failure to wear a seat safety belt in violation of this Section shall not be considered evidence of negligence, shall not limit the liability of an insurer, and shall not diminish any recovery for damages arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or operation of a motor vehicle.

 

[realshelby]

Ignorance is bliss. I don't care if you wear a seat belt or not. Except when you get in my vehicle, where you will wear one or get out.
I never drive without a seat belt. I never ride without a helmet and high end protective gear. But you can ride your bike beside me naked for all I care. Your decision. Most that claim seat belts would have killed or injured them are not able to prove that claim.
I think seat belt laws have been good for the country....but I also understand some don't like those laws. Same with helmets.
Years ago we used to be able to simply unhook the seat belt buzzers/dingers from the harness under the dash. Not sure if that can be done now. But after one trip of the buzzer coming on and staying on because someone unbuckled then rebuckled.....I too would be looking for a fix!

 

[TyPope]

After posting, I figure I'd try my hand at solving the issue, and I found a solution, it ain't pretty but it works. What you do is you have to open the buckle itself, there's a metal tab attached to the plunger that goes down when the seatbelt is buckled. You drill out the pin to this tab and just leave it at the bottom of it's catch, reassemble the seatbelt and voila, the truck thinks the belt is buckled all the time. I did this to the rear 3 seats, may do it to the front passenger and driver to just get rid of the seatbelt screen all together. Let me know if you want pics.

(P.S. Opening the seatbelt itself will mar and scratch up the plastic, there's also 2 plastic pins in it that hold it on that will most likely be broken on removal, I just superglued it back together)

So, in an accident, all the air bags deploy even if it's a minor accident because the vehicle thinks people are in ever seat. Seems like that would be unnecessarily expensive.

Sponsored