Seatbelts

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Hi folks:

The other day I was perusing a family's RV pictures. They rented an RV from RV's of America or some RV rental company. They mentioned that the RV that they rented drove loose and cabinets were all rickety. But, the one thing that caught my eye (actually my wife's) was that the kids were sitting in the foldout bed watching a movie. The text said that "they drove hours to such and such destination while the kids were in bed comfortably watching a movie." :wtf:

I'm not a seatbelt police by any means, but what is the rule on individuals in an RV regarding seatbelts? I notice a lot of the RV's do not have seatbelts except for what came in the Sprinter; driver and front passenger.

My wife doesn't even want to leave the safety of her seatbelt just to close the ceiling vent (which is a few inches above her in the 2nd row). She freaks out when she's at the wheel and I get up to go refill my water jug. :smirk:

Thanks,
Seek
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
Interesting point If per-say the Sprinter has two seats! Then one must be only insured for two occupants, Therefore if there is for example two children in the back watching a movie, non seating configuration and there is an accident where the two rug rats become human missiles, which may result in death or require medicinal attention at a cost? then how are they to claim for vehicle insurance for third party costs??
Seat belts are mandatory to wear in Australia , if there is two seats or ten, the vehicle is covered by MIAB Third party insurance under the registration cost of the vehicle's compliance for twelve months, where occupants are covered for medical costs associated from the said accident, under the no-fault claim system.
If there was extra people in the vehicle that exceeds the seating capacity of the vehicle, then there is no cover. the onus is on the driver to pay for damages irrespective of who is at fault, he or she would end up losing the vehicle license to drive, huge fines and in the extreme case of death, would end up with jail time.
Common sense should prevail irrespective of state laws, belt up and live the day for tomorrow.
Richard
 

zigzagguzzi

05 Interstate, N. Fl.
My Interstate has belts for 5. The dealer stressed each passenger to be belted in while on the road! Carries 5, sleeps 2. jim
 

Zach Woods

New member
Hi Richard -

Insurance in the US appears to function a little bit differently than insurance in Australia. While your insurance likely knows how many passengers your vehicle is designed for if you have a standard model, both different states and different/ unusual models (particularly RV's) are going to throw a monkey-wrench into any sort of consistency.

Some states do not require the same level of insurance as others. Some do not require the use of seatbelts. This means that the same accident would be treated differently by either or both the police and the driver's insurance depending on where the vehicle was registered and where the accident took place, potentially.

Safest situation in an accident is to be wearing a lap and shoulder belt and sitting in a forward facing seat (obviously dependent on many factors like speed, type of accident, construction/ design of vehicle, etc.)
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
Humm, now i know some states are backwards when it comes to saftey belts, but how can a person be covered for accident insurance to cover the massive hospital bills? if say a vehicle has only two front seats and you have for example half a dozen beings in the back without seats
Public hospitals are free down under you don't need insurance cover but with vehicle accidents some one has to pay for the damage irrespective of who was at fault.
Any idea? or is it a free for all, where the silks lawyers, fight it out for damages and the sod who is half brain dead sits on a garbage can waiting for assistance, now the guy is half gone, no income! So who pays for the silk! Or is it all pro-bona?.
On a need to know basis, just to remind me when I.m back in the good old USA I'll take out double indemity just to be safe:bash:
Richard
 

BMA

New member
Humm, now i know some states are backwards when it comes to saftey belts, but how can a person be covered for accident insurance to cover the massive hospital bills? if say a vehicle has only two front seats and you have for example half a dozen beings in the back without seats
Sounds like a school bus to me, or have they finally required them to have seat belts? I know there was alot of talk about that when I was a kid, but oh the cost...

In most states only the front seat driver and passengers and kids under so large or age are required to have seat belts on. I've not hear that any states required all passengers to be buckled up.

Public hospitals are free down under you don't need insurance cover but with vehicle accidents some one has to pay for the damage irrespective of who was at fault.
If you show up at a hospital, they are required to patch you up, insured or not. You might not get the best patch job, but you will live. If you don't have insurance and can't pay the bills the hospital has to eat the costs, and passes them on to the paying customers.

Any idea? or is it a free for all, where the silks lawyers, fight it out for damages and the sod who is half brain dead sits on a garbage can waiting for assistance, now the guy is half gone, no income! So who pays for the silk! Or is it all pro-bona?.
As for the lawyer, it is negotiated between the lawyer and the client as to pro-bona work or not. Note, in a cival suit if you are sued you are not entitled to a lawyer. You have to pay for them yourself or get pro-bona work. My insurance company (USAA) will pay for defence lawyers for me in the case of auto accidents if I'm sued.
 

BaywoodBill

pre-Yuppiedom
If you show up at a hospital, they are required to patch you up

Not entirely accurate. Some hospitals have closed their emergency facilities and some will just turn folks away... send them on to another place

My insurance company (USAA) will pay for defence lawyers for me in the case of auto accidents if I'm sued.
Which is the case with any auto policy that has Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability coverage. They will pay for defence if warranted and pay a judgement up to the limit of the policy. Those who purchase an insurance policy for the minimum required limit have found themselves both without defence and without resources after a serious accident that was their own fault. In those cases, the insurance company just pays out the policy limit and leaves the customer to him or herself to defend against the balance of the suit and to pay the judgement in excess of the amount the insurance company paid.

That's why it's essential for any property owner to have a significant amount of liability insurance.
 

BaywoodBill

pre-Yuppiedom
Richard, I think we didn't answer all your questions about who pays medical bills when there's no insurance. You're getting into one of the pathetic parts of the US economy. The medical system we now enjoy is not appreciated by the patients or the physicians (unless they have carved out a specific niche for themselves such as cosmetic surgery, mumbo jumbo medicine, or specialized sugery such as transplants, etc.).

No one has a solution that's agreeable to enough others to make a change for the better and we experience one makeshift, jury-rigged do-over after another.

For those with no insurance and no resources, they usually find free medical care to keep them from dying and if they are permanently disabled, say they're paralyzed, then the state supports them. If they die from an accident then their neighbors and friends conduct a fund raising barbecue.
 

pgr

Active member
Not required in New Hampshire (unless you are under 18)! No motorcycle helmets, either.

No auto liability insurance required until after your first accident!


"Live Free or Die" is the state motto (or is it "LIve Free & Die)?

pgr
 

Altered Sprinter

Happy Little Vegemite
Live "Free or Die is our State Motto"
Well that's a sorry 51 state of Affairs not counting the exclusive block of US Soil in Cuba We sorted that out in 1901 all states come under Commonwealth Law so at least we have guaranteed public hospital care under the no fault complementary! third party scheme.
Gee and you want me to come to the Sprinter-Fest?
What I get 'killeded' by a rouge USP maniac delivering a turbo resonator, cause one Sprinter in the circle of Wagons Ho' don't run no more, them I''m splattered all over the road "like liverwurst".
I can just see you guys firing up the Barbi! 'Aussie Style', frying up suspect 'Sangs' parts of me? for a fund raising excuse, just to get blasted on my stock of Fosters tinnies. to send what's left of me back home.
NEVER, I'm staying under my rock, I'm not coming out, I'm permanently fixed, GPS say's so, like I paid for my last resting place, and I keep my "Head Stone Clean".
Dang, that's the scariest thread I've seen since last year, it's safer in Lebanon Honest. now what's for lunch:popcorn:
Richard
 

sikwan

06 Tin Can
Sounds like a school bus to me, or have they finally required them to have seat belts? I know there was alot of talk about that when I was a kid, but oh the cost...

In most states only the front seat driver and passengers and kids under so large or age are required to have seat belts on. I've not hear that any states required all passengers to be buckled up.
Sorry, my bad BMA. I didn't read the comment about school buses. Even here in California these school buses are exempt from this so called seat belt law.

Too expensive I guess. :thumbdown:

Seek
 

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