In my constant quest to fill the emptiness during my work day I have taken up the habit of grabbing every free weekly/daily newspaper I come across on my route to work. I was reading an article today that reminded me of something I had meant to write about but forgot because most of the things I want to write about are largely inconsequential.
The headline was “Mass. ranks last again in US for use of seat belts”
I am from Massachusetts, but I had very responsible parents growing up (still do), and as such, I was taught to wear my seat belt during a five minute, or a five hour, ride.
Get in the car, fasten your seat belt.
(Please note, and emphasize, the period at the end of that sentence)
The only time I ever doubted this was when my slightly claustrophobic brother couldn’t get his buckle undone on our way to school many years ago. He started to panic, somehow managed to get the belt tight to the point that he couldn’t move, panicked even more, and eventually had to be cut out. Sure, he was slightly emotionally scarred, but I was even younger than he so I thought the seat belts were out to get us for some time. I eventually got over that and since have always worn my seat belt in the car.
Or so I thought.
I was recently taking a cab home after a long night out and I encountered a very odd situation. Mind you, this situation was only odd in so far as my perception of it was odd (a debate for another time). You may judge how odd it actually is on your own.
I entered the cab and as I was telling the driver where I was headed I began to put on my seat belt, but stopped and let it return to my shoulder. I stopped because his seat belt light was blinking and beeping to make sure he knew he was not wearing his seat belt. As my mind absorbed this information it apparently decided “if the driver doesn’t wear a belt, I’m not putting one on either, this guy’s a professional”.
At this point the driver was already driving off, and I was thoroughly confused with myself. I started to wonder if I always did this in taxi’s. Part of me thinks that I do, as if for some reason because: “he’s a cab driver, ergo he’s never the cause of, or involved in, a major accident”.
Because there’s a lot of logic to that…
Perhaps even more confusing was the fact that this man saw the blinking light, and heard the warning tone once every 60 seconds the car was in motion. I know sitting in a car all day is uncomfortable, and that a seat belt does not make one any more comfortable physically. However, I believe that one of the punishments for the outermost circles of hell is to listen to that tone once every 60 seconds for an eternity through heavy ear-bud head phones.
I think this is why I was so confused. He clearly had learned to ignore the seat belt warnings. Therefore, by simple inductive reasoning he must have performed some kind of cost/benefit analysis for wearing or not wearing a seat belt and arrived at the conclusion that it is in fact better for him to not wear the seat belt.
I was confused therefore not only by this man’s mental processes, but also by the fact that for years now I’m may not have been putting my seat belt on in cabs without noticing it. It’s just that I only thought about it, and at that time still refused, when I was overtly warned to fasten my seat belt by the blinking, tone summoning, warning light.
I’m not good with numbers, but it would seem to me that although they are required to be experienced drivers, simply by the sheer number of hours they spend driving, cabbies as a demographic must be involved in more accidents on average than everyone else.
No, because the experience more than makes up for the time spent on the road. Right?
Between the hours on the road and the endless chiming and blinking how could he not wear his seat belt?
Because he doesn’t get into life threatening accidents. Ever. Right?
These were apparently bullet proof enough for me to feel comfortable leaving my own belt off. Also, since he worked hard not to wear his, I thought by putting my own seat belt on I’d be insulting him.
What’s even worse is that now every time I get into a cab I immediately start wondering if I should or should not put on my seat belt.
“He doesn’t wear his, will he be insulted if I do? Does he know something I don’t? I’m sure he’s a good driver, I’ll go without, and just worry about it for the rest of the ride.”
Then all I can think of is the opening scene of “Old School”
The answer is yes I should wear my seat belt, but I am still some how mystified by the fact that I might have spent many cab rides over the years in blissful ignorance of the lack of safety protocol.
Either way, I listened to that seat belt chime go through about ten cycles before the cab ride was over, and I left him a big tip because he at least got me thinking. Most of the other ones just talk on their blue tooth.
This one forced me to listen to a warning tone at regular intervals. That’s service.
