I often have to travel by taxi. I’ve noticed a phenomenon: almost in every taxi I’ve been in, there are no seat belts in the back seats. Or rather, they are there, but they are impossible to use. Either the fastenings are hidden deep in the gaps between the seats, or the seats are covered with covers without holes for these fastenings, or there are household rags laid on the seats, which seem to have been wiped with hands after a meal. In general, the rear passenger can’t fasten their seatbelt. When I tried to find the fastening for the seat belts and buckle up, the taxi drivers first reassured me by saying, “You don’t need to worry. Passengers don’t need to buckle up.” But when I insisted that I wanted to buckle up for my safety, they looked at me with surprise and scrutinized me intently. Their entire demeanor suggested that they saw me as a strange oddball.
A couple of times, I managed to make the taxi drivers dismantle their covers and pull out the seat belt fastening. One Shymkent taxi driver even had to disassemble the rear seat and pull out the dusty fastening from underneath it, which had not been used since the day the car left the assembly line.
You might ask why I’m being so picky and making the poor taxi drivers uncomfortable. It’s all because once I watched a social video where it vividly shows how during sudden braking of a car at a speed of 60 km/h, the body of the rear passenger turns into a projectile, easily breaks the windshield, and flies out of the car for 20-30 meters. Then, the son of some acquaintances died in an accident just because he was the only one who didn’t buckle up.
Since then, my whole family and I buckle up on any seat (both front and back) even if we’re just going to the neighboring store for bread. It has become a habit and hasn’t been a burden to any of us for a long time.
On the contrary, I’m amazed by people who don’t buckle up themselves and don’t buckle up their children. What carelessness and risk to life for the sake of just one click of a seat belt?! Especially shocking to me are parents who allow their young children to stand between the front seats while the car is moving, holding them by hand, thinking they’re protecting them from death?! What nonsense!
In general, I sincerely advise everyone to buckle up with seat belts in all car seats.
Be sensible, friends, and stay safe and sound!
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