Guys,

I have been selected at work to be a member of an Accident Investigation Committee.

A driver at work has destroyed the front of a 2010 Jeep Cherokee 3.7L by hitting a bus from its back without even applying brakes. The driver had some bruises on his wrist and cramps at the back of his neck. Otherwise, he is completely fine.

The bonnet, fenders and the engine top are gone, and the car will be totaled.

When the vehicle was towed to Jeep service center the engineer there has informed us that the driver was not putting the seat belt on.

Both seat belts were in the untied position, with both extremetly tensioned and could not be moved at all.

When the driver was asked whether he was putting the seat belt on or not, he said that he was putting it on.

As per my company policy, he should be fired if he is lying, or if he did not have the seat belt on.

I understand very well how the seat belt pretensioners work, but just wanted to use your experience.

The question I need an answer for, and which might determine the driver's career is:

Is it possible that the driver was putting the seat belt on and by the time the car was moved to the service center the belts retracted to the untied position and were tensioned in that position and not in the slacked position that it should have been in?

Was the driver putting the seat belt or not? That is the question.

Ummmm, how about asking the service department of the Jeep dealer?

We will do that tomorrow. I just can't stop thinking about that guy's career :nono:.

wee-woo-wee-woo

http://www.care-police.com/care.jpg

Even if he didnt cmon.. Should he lose his job over something so trivial.. I could see getting fired for wrecking a vehicle, but not for not wearing a seat belt!

Skelevirus,

It is acceptable to wreck a car as most human beings can suffer from a moment of inattention or lack of concentration.

What complicates the matters in this situation is that he is lying about it because he know how strict the driving policy in my company is.

Unless it proves that the belts can return to their untied position after the pretensioners are triggered, he will remain in an unfavourable position.

I don't know how newer systems work or even if seta belt assemblies have changed much over the years but... I've been involved in accidents with older vehicles ('88 Acura Legend, '97 Infiniti J30) and the tensioner retracted the seat belt with out any issues after the car accident.

A colleague from work was hit head on by a 16 wheeler and he also says that the seat belt retracted after the accident without any issue. He drove a 2010 Dodge RAM.

I would suggest that a seat belt assembly be taken apart if you want to get indefinite answers that would solidify your search for the truth.

Good Luck!

I can tell you this, at my company, you are fired for the same thing, or if you simply get 2 seat belt violation tickets in any vehicle, you are fired. Also texting violations will cost you your job. These policies have been put in place at the behest of the insurance company. It's all about insurance!

Form my experience - seat belt tensioners engage when there is sudden movement, either sudden acceleration or braking. Once the movement stops, the tensioners should disengage and allow for slack. There have been instances where this didn't happen and the person became pinned to the seat. Many people who don't use seatbelts claim this reason for not doing so.

What's odd is that you say the driver was putting on the seatbelt when the accident occurred. Shouldn't the seatbelt be put on before the car is moved? Does your company policy state this?

That's just my 2 cents - I'd seriously recommend you speak with a service tech or engineer for a definite answer, maybe even a lawer before you fire the guy.

check the driver's cell phone records, and see if he was on the phone or texting.