The Duke of Edinburgh In Car Accident at Sandringham: January 17, 2019


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COUNTESS said:
If you only wear a seatbelt because it's the law you are foolish. They have a reason and work very well. Yes, many years ago we didn't have them and we had many accidents that ended people lives or harmed them, when now they are much safer. What ridculous speeds on two lane roads, 45 MPH. Hardly ridiculous. In many States helmets are required for those who ride motorcycles. Bikes cannot be controlled. It was the passenger who has a broken writs. She did nothing but sit in a car. And as far as the sun blinding one, then you drive very cautiously, as you know you cannot see well.
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The broken wrist was bad luck. No one intentionally broke it.

The passenger said it was overcast. Sometimes the sun is not blinding you as you drive along but the clouds suddenly part and boom-the sun is now in your eyes. It takes just a second.
 
Elenath said:
I'm sorry, but I don't really get your point. Where I live these things are still allowed. Are there places where children aren't allowed to ride without a helmet or where pregant women aren't allowed to drink? Especially the last one, are women supposed to have a pregnancy test before getting a drink? Drinking while pregnant might not always be a good idea, but it's still legal.
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Yes actually, there are many places where bike helmets are required.

As for alcohol are you serious ??? Obviously I mean when you Know you are pregnant. I am clearly talking about when you know. The list of dangers and problems you can cause your unborn child by drinking while pregnant, yeah there is no logical reason to drink while pregnant.

Sorry maybe its the nurse in me who have watched too many small children suffer because of the stupid choices made by their parents. Tiny babies born premature. Little kids with serious head injuries as they got hit while riding their bike. So yes, I think that when you have the lives of children in your care, you take precautions to make them safe.

My point was that as humans we have realized certain dangers. Royals used to marry their first cousins, even their nieces. Yeah not everyone got hemophilia or birth defects, but plenty did. Does that mean that royals should still marry close family to keep blood pure? Hope not. Common sense and science has run out in that case.

The royals are role models. People watch them like celebrities. Considering how Diana died, the idea of car safety should be even more ingrained.

Spend a night working in a hospital ER (thankfully a short stint) and you may understand where others come from.


The broken wrist was bad luck. No one intentionally broke it.

The passenger said it was overcast. Sometimes the sun is not blinding you as you drive along but the clouds suddenly part and boom-the sun is now in your eyes. It takes just a second.
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No one said that the broken wrist was intentional. That is why we call it an Accident.

Simply that it was not her driving that caused the accident. She was just along for the ride. That its not simply the drivers of either car who can be at risk. Think of how much worse it could have been if she had not been wearing a seatbelt.
 
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I just want to add to Countessmeout's post about pregnancy and drinking alcohol here. I'm in West Virginia in the US and in our grocery stores and places where alcohol is sold, there are signs up visibly warning that consumption of alcohol while pregnant may lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.

OK. We now return to #Philipgate. Anyone hear if Ms. Fairweather has been able to give her statement to the Norfolk Police?
 
Sheesh. I was 12 years old and in the 7th grade at that time. I think I was more interested in the original "Fab Four" then than Philip so its not surprising it never entered my scope of knowing. :lol:
 
A bit of a weird article on why royals don't always wear seatbelts. If it's the law, they should (and apparently there are a few exceptions in which they don't have to) and if they don't, they at least should consistently be fined.

It seems the younger royals typically do wear seat belts in front seats but not always in back seats.

Edit: I even found this picture of the queen without and Catherine with seat belt (on Balmoral Estate, so it's allowed not to wear one)
 
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To be honest, that article smells more like a pro-royal explain-away article to me.

If we look at the risk assessment the chances of a royal being involved in accident is considerably higher than being the victim of a kidnap/assassination attempt.
It's not like the royals are commando soldiers expected to dive to the floor or leap out of the car instantly.
You can for the same reason ask why there are no explosive bolts in the doors...

I think the explanation for royals not wearing seat-belts is much more down to earth and can be summed up in one word: Comfortable.
You have more freedom of movement without a seat-belt, especially on the backseat.
I can however, see one reason where a seat belt would be impractical. When the royals are on full regalia. A seat-belt may make it uncomfortable when you are wearing orders, stars and jewellery as the belt pushes them against your body.
It's a theory though as I don't usually were orders, stars, brooches and parures... ?
 
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So what the article really means is there is no good reason for royals not to wear a seatbelt. I remember there being a fuss when Will & Kate were dating that she arrived driving herself to some military ball without a seatbelt. No one then excused it as a good reason not to wear a seatbelt.

Creasing your dress or custom made outfit is not IMO a good reason. And the security threat is rubbish - why have some of the royal protection officers commented they all made protectees buckle up then?
 
tommy100 said:
So what the article really means is there is no good reason for royals not to wear a seatbelt. I remember there being a fuss when Will & Kate were dating that she arrived driving herself to some military ball without a seatbelt. No one then excused it as a good reason not to wear a seatbelt.

Creasing your dress or custom made outfit is not IMO a good reason. And the security threat is rubbish - why have some of the royal protection officers commented they all made protectees buckle up then?
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As far as I can see, it is decided on a case by case basis... there may be timtes when it is better not to have one on, most times it is obviously advisable...

MARG said:
I cannot believe we are on page 20 and counting, worse, most people are complaining that he does not wear his seatbelt. Did that cause the Accident? No, it did not but if people are going to lecture ad nauseum, please note that HM does not wear a seat belt either!

She was seen shortly after the crash without a seatbelt and last Sunday both she and Prince Andrew were driven to St Peters Church. Neither wore a seatbelt and never do when they go to church, whether St Mary Magdalene Church, St Peters or Crathie Kirk she didn't even wear one to St Georges Chapel for Harry and Eugenie's weddings. Being past ninety, will she too have to give up driving?
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I would say that if Philip is being attacked for the accident, for being an elderly driver and for not wearing his seatbelt, then the quen should be as well....
 
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Denville said:
As far as I can see, it is decided on a case by case basis... there may be timtes when it is better not to have one on, most times it is obviously advisable...
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I think that's rubbish. Why would for example one royal be wearing a seatbelt and another royal not while in the same car both in front seats? And why would the younger generation show different patterns than the older generation?

I can't think of any situation in which not wearing a seatbelt is advisable because of a security thread. Can you? Typically those guys would check on whether everyone is buckled up but apparently that's not a priority or some royals refuse to listen...
 
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Generally bodyguards don't wear seat belts because they may need to be free to react in an emergency.. and probaby older royals of Phils age, would also feel restricted and want to be free to escaep quickly if there was an emergency. Younger royals like Will and Kate grew up when seatbelts were a legal requirement so they would probably be more willing to wear them...……..
 
Most people under the age of 40 grew up wearing seatbelts. I remember when the laws changed and some people were very resistant to wearing them. Many claimed they worried about not getting out of a burning car if they were wearing a seatbelt. Change is very difficult for people. People who believed the science and respected the law wore the seatbelts. Some found it awkward at first but as they got used to it, it became a habit and eventually became comfortable. People who refused to go through the difficult transition period never progressed. Unfortunately, given their position in life, no one ever forced the queen and Phillip to change. Those who today are under 40, never had to go through a transition period. As for the queen and Phillip, I think it is time for someone, whether family, police, Parlament, or public opinion, to force the issue and had them transition to wearing seatbelts. The physics are clear. They are safer with the belts than without.
 
While I can understand that many elderly people have difficulties to adapt because they come from a time without any seatbelts the answer clearly is: this is the law now. While I grew up without any bicycle helmets, I still don't wear one, not sure this is a good thing but lots of people in my age group do the same because we feel we don't need to adapt. But then, there is no law having to wear a helmet on a bicycle.

Philipp is supposed to be a role model and on top of that, he is not about the law on a public road. What he personally thinks about seat belts is irrelevant and I am not even going down the road that a family member died mainly for not wearing a seat belt.
 
If seatbelt wearing is a law, we all should definitely wear, even if they do annoy or muss clothes. Most states now require all passengers, even in rear of vehicles to wear belts, except school busses which blows my mind but another issue. Years ago they were only lap belts instead of the over shoulder ones now. The only person that I personally know that was medically excused from wearing was my daughter-in-law who received a kidney transplant back in 1985. She was issued a medical card stating that she was not to wear a seatbelt due to this operation. She still has it. She was stopped by police a few times and had to show card. Now I know that many new strides have been made concerning this specific operation, but I know for a fact that she still has that card. Have no idea if any other transplant recipients like heart, lung, etc., had that same requirement but I do know that in NJ a kidney transplant in 1985 was told not to wear seatbelt due to the position of operation, etc.
 
There will be legal exceptions to the seat belt laws in force in most areas. Stupidity is not one of them. :D

Its the same thing to me as smoking is in restaurants. A person lights up after a meal, he/she is going to be slapped with a hefty penalty. A person gets into a car accident without a seat belt, the chances of the accident being more severe or even having a fatality is far greater. Perhaps cars should be made to have huge flashing lights on the outside that will not turn off unless all passengers are properly buckled up. Neon purple lights. ;)

I'm here typing because I was wearing a seat belt.
 
Osipi said:
There will be legal exceptions to the seat belt laws in force in most areas. Stupidity is not one of them. :D

Its the same thing to me as smoking is in restaurants. A person lights up after a meal, he/she is going to be slapped with a hefty penalty. A person gets into a car accident without a seat belt, the chances of the accident being more severe or even having a fatality is far greater. Perhaps cars should be made to have huge flashing lights on the outside that will not turn off unless all passengers are properly buckled up. Neon purple lights. ;)

I'm here typing because I was wearing a seat belt.
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Yes, that would do it!. In fact there was just a special on my cable channel about cars being made to {1} insure they will only start by having the fingerprint of owner [or owners] touching a thingy on dash and {2} some testing tube for alcohol on driver. They claim the technology is already available but car manufactures refuse to rally behind these new inventions, which would also be beneficial to owners and citizens, especially the alcohol one. The older I get, the more I realize that we can make all the laws we want, fines the breakers thousands of dollars for breaking but there will always be some that don't care. Yes, I follow the law to the letter when on public property. Always have, always will. But on my own property, I do exactly what I want, which I am permitted to do when it comes to driving laws.
 
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I don't really think seatbelts were an actual 'issue' but rather a habit. From the time they. We're young married Royals spent more time sitting in the back of the Rolls Royce than the front of a Land Rover and lap belts came first, then came the cross shoulder / lap combo which did not have either recoil release nor dashboard alarms. That led to seatbelt exemptions for Police and Taxi drivers and passengers by necessity.

Who can forget getting in the back seat and struggling to get the seatbelt to fit and and the middle seat always had a lapbelt. There were always mutters and curses and broken fingernails. Not a good look after getting off the train or plane and holding people up when the drive was timed. The bodyguard and driver had theirs rolled up and securely out of the way. By the time recoil technology was introduced the senior Royals were entrenched in their habits and we didn't even notice. Prince Philip is 97 and Queen Elizabeth 92 and even with an ageing population they have buried most of their close friends and family.

Why is this such a biggie in 2019?
 
Osipi said:
There will be legal exceptions to the seat belt laws in force in most areas. Stupidity is not one of them. :D

Its the same thing to me as smoking is in restaurants. A person lights up after a meal, he/she is going to be slapped with a hefty penalty. A person gets into a car accident without a seat belt, the chances of the accident being more severe or even having a fatality is far greater. Perhaps cars should be made to have huge flashing lights on the outside that will not turn off unless all passengers are properly buckled up. Neon purple lights. ;)

I'm here typing because I was wearing a seat belt.
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Then it must be even harder to understand that others choose to put their lives in danger.

Sometimes my car starts beeping because I didn't put on a seat belt for my (heavy) bag and purse :whistling:

Denville said:
Generally bodyguards don't wear seat belts because they may need to be free to react in an emergency.. and probaby older royals of Phils age, would also feel restricted and want to be free to escaep quickly if there was an emergency. Younger royals like Will and Kate grew up when seatbelts were a legal requirement so they would probably be more willing to wear them...……..
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The risk of dying in a car accident are much higher than not being able to escape because they are wearing a seat belt (if their security thought differently, we wouldn't see the younger royals wearing their seat belts most of the time). So, it's plain stubbornness and unlawful behavior by the older royals.

MARG said:
Why is this such a biggie in 2019?
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Because both the duke and the queen were seen not wearing a seatbelt right after an accident that could have killed the duke.
 
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I think not wearing seatbelts is largely a generational issue here in the UK, as most people who were born after the laws were changed here wear seatbelts most, if not all, times they get in the car (myself included, having been born in the '90s). People of HM and Philip's age are more used to not wearing seatbelts as it's something they wouldn't have done when they first passed their driving tests. It still boggles my mind though how some people are so stubborn and refuse to wear seatbelts. Even if they think they're uncomfortable and get in the way, it surely is better to wear something uncomfortable that will safe your life than to put your life at risk each time you don't wear one?!
 
HereditaryPrincess said:
I think not wearing seatbelts is largely a generational issue here in the UK, as most people who were born after the laws were changed here wear seatbelts most, if not all, times they get in the car (myself included, having been born in the '90s). People of HM and Philip's age are more used to not wearing seatbelts as it's something they wouldn't have done when they first passed their driving tests. It still boggles my mind though how some people are so stubborn and refuse to wear seatbelts. Even if they think they're uncomfortable and get in the way, it surely is better to wear something uncomfortable that will safe your life than to put your life at risk each time you don't wear one?!
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Perhaps at Philips age, he is not used to wearing one and does not care...
 
Denville said:
Perhaps at Philips age, he is not used to wearing one and does not care...
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He’s better care now after flipping that car over and nearly killing himself and others.
 
I hear the Queen has been spotted again driving but with a seatbelt. Not sure about Phillip.


LaRae
 
Restraints in cars have always been an issue. At our Airport the number of times Airport police were called because someone from overseas was refused a vehicle because they didn't have a car seat or booster seat for small children and were unwilling to rent them.

They would refuse to rent them because they didn't have to use them in whatever country they were from. Worse, every booth they went to they got the same response. It enraged many who felt that nobody had the right to tell them what to do and they "knew their rights" and said so, loudly, threateningly and generally caused enough of a dust-up that the police needed to be called. Now that is bull-headed.

The thing about our beloved royal pair is that is isn't actually an issue per se. It's just the way they have always done things and, when you think of the number of times there have been senior police officers or police escorts, etc. present, it is surprising that some policeman with a backbone hasn't at the very least mentioned seatbelts to their PPO or at the very least, their supervisor.

Philip is not being a curmudgeon here, any more than HM is being a bloody-minded b***h when seen returning from her racing stables driving with no seatbelt the following day. It's just the way they have always done it out of sheer habit for more decades than we might care to think. But, it looks like they are trying to break that habit and, as far as I'm concerned, they should be left in peace to get on with it.
 
I can understand why if travelling in a police escort they may not wear a seatbelt - i think they should and probably they legally need to but when driving on public roads themselves without police escort holding back traffic there is no excuse at all other than sheer bl**dy mindedness
 
I see the lady with the broken arm in all the media, but the other lady keeps a low profile!
You can see the different personalities here, one want the 15 minutes of fame, the other wants her privacy! Are this ladies friends or related?

She got the letter as she wanted so I suppose she is happy now! Reality probably his secretary wrote it! but never the less a nice gesture.
I am sure he was shaken and shock that happen, and it is probably true he was blind by the sun!
 
I see Ms. Fairweather has already provided the letter to The Mirror while the driver of the Kia has held onto hers.
 
Well, isn’t that nice of, Prince Philip. That’s very thoughtful of him to take to time to write the letter on the accident.
 
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