Ok so i was reading the July JP mag and in the section about roll overs on pg 34 and in the second thing they say is important is to secure all cargo and to have working seat belts and to use them.   Then i was reading the article on the ZJ and making it grand again on Page 62/63 and in that pic, lone behold...*gasp* the driver isnt wearing his seat belt. Now correct me if im wrong, but didnt you just say not less then 30 pages before hand, to wear seat belts?? I can tell that the ZJ does not have a roll cage nor does it have racing seats or 5 or 4 point harness style seat belts...

So whats with that JP??? you go and say to wear seat belts and how ya have seen people ejected in a roll over and then show a pic of your ZJ with its suspension flexed and not wearing the seat belt??? I guess we all should learn to do as JP says and not due. Dont worry though, im sure it was a slight oversite and wont happen again. Ill be expecting a JP license plate and some free stickers now for bringing this to light.

-Chase

maybe it's that I'm in a good mood today, but I can't help but see this as funny.  I see the ZJ guys begging for more ink time in the mag and when it happens, let the nit picking begin.

I guess I didn't notice the missing belt..  busy looking at the rig. Oh- and getting a chuckle out of the author's pen name.

well i wasnt pickin on the ZJ its self...I was pickin on the driver and JP for that mistake. I still feel that us ZJ owners dont get enough. Seems like TJs/YJs get the most attention then to XJs. BUt hey if any one wants to make fun of us ZJs then fine by me, im willin to accept it.

You are right to point that out. It's about safety plain and simple.  

indeed it is. I dont move my ZJ at all unless all are belted in. Ill sit there for 30 min if needed if thats what it takes to make sure every one is safe. on street or off... Here in Washington its a $101 fine for no seat belt, and its a primary offense so they can pull you over for just that. And yes they do do that...They have ads all around "click it or ticket" I mean if seat belts were unsafe we wouldnt have them, but they save lifes so use the dang thing... so its kinda makes me a lil uneasy when i see JP sayin one thing and then doin the opposite...Thats why  i brought it to light.  

I meant nothing serious by what I said..  I was just jokin around about nit picking. 

If we were to have a discussion about belts I'd say the fact it's a law to wear them is just another form of dictatorship.  if one chooses not to wear it then so be it- only person it hurts is the person that didn't wear it.. much like the helmet laws for motor bikes. 

I personally wear my seat belt (if there is one) every time I drive, but that's as far as I push it.  my last 'offroad' toy didn't even HAVE any, nor brakes..or doors..   Call it stupid if ya must, but we were just having fun and not being paranoid.

on the other side of the argument, my sister died in a car accident at 16.  she was wearing her belt, and arguably it was her belt that killed her.  side impact, body held in place, but head can move.. you get where I'm going?  My parents believe in all their beings that her wearing her belt killed her, and refuse to wear one.  I agree they killl just like they save, so I wear mine, but don't care what anyone else does.. it's their business.  It's called 'freedom to choose'.

This is just my opinion.  and many would say I'm not wired right in the head... but the subject hits close to home.

and you make a good point.  

i agree,it should be right to choose.i have a friend that if he wouldent have been thrown from his truck in a roll,it would have killed him.i wear mine on road but off-road i pick and choose when i think i need it.i have a TJ,and i dont know why they wasted time and money putting airbags in them,if you get in a head on wreck,belt,bag,etc isnt gonna save sh!t.owning a TJ CJ YJ etc is like riding a motorcycle,you have to pay more attention to you driving as well as everyone else,or you will have a pile of parts,if that.  

Ehh, he uses a separate lap belt. Feel better?  

Ill get back to you on that...You have a great mag so that one slip is not gonna make me stop reading it. Just thought i would bring it to light is all...Keep up the good work  

"only person it hurts is the person that didn't wear it"

So when you're skidding all over the place you have as much control to stop your jeep plowing into someone else, or rolling over and into someone else when your not being held in place? Or when you get thrown out and the jeep continues on? Or when you're in the emergency room it's not someone else's taxes paying for it? Or the long-term care in the veg ward? Or that part of insurance for everyone which is higher to cover all of the above? Or is it your wife, parents, family or whoever that's going to pay the bills? Your widow raising the kids isn't hurt?

For every person that maybe escaped serious injury by being thrown out there's a hundred who escaped thanks to the seat belt. Ask any trooper or ambualnce person what they think.

I agree... Mine saved me twice in my old truck, both times from goin through the windshield. First time was when i was out on a loggin road and hit the ditch, stoping dead in my tracks. belt held me tigh so i didnt impale the wheel and windshield. Second time was when i got rearended...Held me to the truck rather then launch me forward into that steering wheel once again...  

Ok- you make a point, but what's so bad about it being your choice?  If you don't want to wear your seat belt or helmet, then more power to you; Darwinism in action.  People die every day.  The government making that choice for me isn't what I'd call freedom.

I wear mine everytime I get behind the wheel, especially offroad, cause without it sometimes- in some strange angles I put my truck in- I'd be sliding right on across the seat. 

Personally I think the line could have been drawn there.  Airbags were a nuisance when they came out and just gotten worse-popping out all over the interior, and let's not even get started on those @*#%& antilock brakes  *sigh*

I totally agree...My air bag is still in my ZJ...just the brain for it, and the sensors are gone. I make sure my passengers are belted in since here in washington, if they are under a certain age, the driver is responsible for them and can get cited for his or her actions...But yes it is totally every ones choice to wear one or not  

OK, we all understand your point. However, in this case you are blowing this a little out of proportion. The Jeep in question is not even moving. In fact it is parked. The author of the story shot the photo and wanted to have someone in the front seat. His son was the only person available as the behind the wheel model. We never intended to run the photo this large; it just happened that way after everything came into place. The thing that nobody caught was the fact that this kid doesn't have a driver's license or even a permit! Perhaps he should have had his glasses on as well, he'd never pass the DMV vision test without 'em! Ya get the point? Now, if it were an extreme situation, at speed, or even moving I would totally agree. But it's just not the case here. Rest assured that all of us at Jp put our belts on everytime! Well, at least when we're moving in our Jeeps. Besides, if we ended up killing ourselves in a wreck how could we torment ya with this kind of drivel?