Just Because It Works Doesnt Mean That Its Inclusive Or That I Cant Be Better Yall - Tumblr Posts
Okay not ragging on wearing seatbelts at all, DEFINITELY DO THAT, but I will say that I kinda do think seat belts are sexist. Mostly because cars were designed with male drivers in mind and to this day the majority of crash tests are conducted WITH male-only dummies- this has skewed the survivorship of male and female drivers, because women aren’t the the ones with the design in mind, they end up dying on a much more regular basis. (You cannot convince me no woman has ever been boob slapped at an ungodly force because an airbag wasn’t aimed correctly at her chest), I think that the seat belt’s design is just a vestigial remnant of that fact. Women are more likely to die in a crash as the driver, and it’s because cars aren’t usually being tested with female-designed dummies. (There’s a few around now, but this is still pretty new.)
I sincerely think that while unimportant (technically), the design of seat belts could definitely be modified for the comfort of all people while also being safe, if not even safer. Just cause it works doesn’t mean it can’t be better!
Also??? Breast amputation????? Girl- if car crashes resulted in male castrations the design would’ve been changed immediately. Don’t even play with me right now. Even if it’s survivorship bias that’s still a permanent and disfiguring injury that is by all means preventable by an improved design. No one gender or sex should suffer severe bodily disfigurement because they weren’t accounted for. That just isn’t ok.
And it’s not even just women this applies to. Would it kill us to actually cover the rough fabric in soft sleeves? I remember seat belts rubbing and even sometimes burning my skin as a child- because they don’t account for the kaleidoscope of people who will enter, exit, and use a seatbelt while in the car. Children are sensitive to that stimulus too. I don’t think parents of special needs children (or any children, for that matter) should have to go about replacing their car’s seatbelts because some Rich ass company decided to not improve a preexisting design because they want to hold on to their money with greedy grubby fingers. Kinda defeats the purpose of innovation if not a soul tries to improve at something.
What I’m saying is- safety devices like seatbelts are important, and they should absolutely be used and worn, but they can stand to be improved and updated to be better for everyone. Just because they work doesn’t mean their design was inclusive from the jump nor is it currently. Seatbelts working and seat belts having a rather unfriendly design for certain groups are both true statements that can coexist without either being wrong. But that’s something that is fixable. And it shouldn’t be ignored just because it works.
