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Hello, my name is Mara Nesbitt-Aldrich, and if you haven't noticed it
yet, I'm fat. I also have some problems remembering words, so please forgive me
if I seem to search for a phrase or a word. It's due to a car accident I had two
years ago.
I am
sure you have all seen your share of auto accidents, and are well aware of the
dangers associated with not wearing a seat belt.
This
is my story. I grew up in New York City and went to a special school for smart
kids and teenagers. I had an IQ of 153, and while I wasn't the best student in
the class, I did OK. I never tested below the 95th percentile on any
intelligence test, and was usually in the 99th + percentile. I did especially
well in timed reading comprehension and proofreading. When I was 6 years old I
was put on my first diet, and dieted my way up to my present size, about 400
pounds. But how and why I'm fat doesn't matter. I just am.
Almost two years ago, I got married. My husband and I decided to have the
ceremony in Las Vegas, and have two receptions: one in New Hampshire and one in
Portland. We also took a side-trip to New York City for a few days. I kept all
the details for the ceremony, travel arrangements, receptions and side trips in
my head. My husband called it "THE LIST". The only thing I wrote down were the
names and addresses of the people we invited. We had a lovely wedding in Vegas
and reception in New Hampshire. We drove down to New York and on the drive back
to New Hampshire we had an accident.
We
were in my father-in-law's 1990 Ford Taurus, with me in the passenger seat. It
rained a lot that day…3 inches…so we were only driving 50 or 55 on the highway.
My husband Roger was belted and had an air bag. My seatbelt was too small for me
to fasten, so I was unbelted.
A
woman to our right lost control of her minivan, crossed over 2 or 3 lanes of
traffic, hit an oil truck to our left and bounced into our lane. We hit her, and
I flew forward and broke the windshield with my head. I regained consciousness
about a half-hour later, when an EMT was shoving a board under my behind. I was
taken to a hospital, observed for brain bleeding and released 6 hours later. My
husband walked away from the accident with some bruises on his arm and chest.
At
our wedding reception in Portland two weeks after the accident, I was bruised
and swollen. I couldn't drink a champagne toast due to the heavy medication I
was taking. I was unable to work for 6 months, and had 24-hour a day headaches.
I noticed immediately that I was unable to remember certain words and many
events and conversations. It seems that I have mild brain damage now. I was
tested twice since the accident, and in several of the tests I scored in the
25th percentile, and the 12th percentile for processing information.
As
you can imagine, this has changed my life. My memory is full of holes. I don't
remember where I put things, I lose checks, I forget whole movies, and I deny
having conversations. In other words, I can't trust my memory any more. I also
tire a lot easier now and can only work part-time. I used to do a lot of public
speaking, and I taught Yoga classes for 15 years until the accident. This is the
first public speaking I've done in two years because I fear forgetting words and
looking foolish.
The
reason I wasn't wearing a seat belt when we had the accident wasn't because I
didn't want to. I was not wearing a seat belt because the seat belt was too
short for me. I have a DMV waiver in my wallet which says I'm not required to
wear a seatbelt, but that piece of paper did nothing to prevent my head from
being smashed.
What
I need to be able to buckle my seat belt is a seat belt extender which looks
like this. As you can see, it can be added or removed from the seat belt with
one easy click. However, my extender works only in my car. Each car maker has
their own configuration, which can change from year to year and model to model.
It costs about $25, but manufacturers who do provide them often give them to
customers at no charge. After I recuperated from the accident and started
driving again, I spent 8 months trying to get a seat belt extender from Mazda,
my own car maker. After dozens of phone calls and letters and a news story on
our local NBC affiliate, I finally was able to fasten my seat belt. We were able
to get an extender for my husband's Ford in one week.
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Elizabeth Fisher, a computer programmer from Louisiana, also needs a seat
belt extender for her Honda Odyssey minivan. Eighteen months ago she asked Honda
to make seat belt extenders available for larger passengers. Honda told her no.
When she persisted in her request for seat belt extenders, Honda officials cited
company policy and told her there was NOTHING SHE COULD DO to get them to change
their policy.
In
Honda's letter to Elizabeth Fisher, they said their seat belts meet federal
requirements. But what good is a seat belt that meets stringent federal safety
guidelines, if it cannot be buckled? Elizabeth researched this federal
regulation, written by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and
found that vehicle manufacturers are only required to provide seat belts that
fit people up to 215 lbs. and 6 ft tall. This regulation is based on height and
weight data that is forty years out of date. It was also written before we knew
that you are four times more likely to die in an accident if you are not wearing
your seat belt.
There
are laws in 49 states (all except New Hampshire) that require seat belts be
worn, yet there are federal laws that tells vehicle manufacturers that they are
not required to make seat belts that fit passengers over 215 lbs. There are
millions of people in our country who may not be able to fasten their seat
belts. This means that this is a bigger issue than one or two fat women who
can't buckle up. The U.S. population is about 300 million, and IF 215 lbs. is
the 95th percentile, that leaves 15 million people in that 5%. In today's
population, the 95th percentile stands at 244 pounds, so even more people are at
risk than the outdated figures show.
Fortunately many auto manufacturers do make seat belt extenders available
to their customers. The new Ford van we bought recently has mention of extenders
in their driver's manual. The car makers who will not provide them at any cost
are Honda, Subaru, Kia, Hyundai, Porsche, Volkswagen, Audi, and Acura.
In an
effort to increase seat belt use among larger passengers and drivers, a petition
has been filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, asking
that the existing federal regulation be amended so that any person who fits in a
vehicle will be able to fasten their seat belt. In her petition, Elizabeth
Fisher is asking that longer belts be made an option at the time of purchase,
and that seat belt extenders be available for purchase for all models. A
decision about this amendment may be made by the end of this month.
Hundreds of letters have been written to NHTSA in support of this
petition for longer seat belts. Just this week Dr. Sue Bailey was appointed as
Administrator of NHTSA. She feels so strongly about seat belt use that back in
the 70s she had a mechanic install a seat belt in the bus her son rode to school
in, and she herself will not ride in any vehicle where all passengers are not
wearing seat belts. She knows that in an accident any unbelted passenger
(including pets) can become a projectile which may cause the driver to lose
control of the vehicle.
I
hope that soon all manufacturers will be required to make seat belts available
that fit any passenger who fits in their vehicle. In the meantime, it's
important that larger passengers who are having trouble buckling up know that
seat belt extenders are available for many vehicles just by going to the parts
department at their dealership. I hope you will do your part to help spread the
word.
When
you stop a large person who is not wearing a seatbelt, let them know about
extenders. If they are driving a car made by a company which doesn't provide
extenders they could get a larger belt made by an auto upholstery shop for their
safety. Many large people are embarrassed by their size but sharing this
information with them respectfully may save their life.
Thank
you very much and if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
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