People are still talking about Prince Philip’s car crash, and how he’s always been a reckless driver. The Guardian unearthed some reporting and footage from a car crash caused by Philip in 1964, when the Queen was riding shotgun, and all of the eyewitnesses said Philip caused the crash. He’s been a sh-tty, dangerous, inconsiderate, reckless driver his whole adult life, I think. Anyway, here’s a terrible addendum to the whole “Philip is terrible” thing: he and the Queen persuaded Land Rover to deactivate the seatbelt warning on their royal Land Rovers. My Nissan has that – there’s a warning light and beeping if the driver or front-seat passenger isn’t wearing their seatbelt. That’s been disabled for Philip and Liz.
Land Rovers for royals have their seatbelt alarms turned off to make it easier to drive without one, it was claimed. The Queen, 92, and Prince Philip, 97, were recently spotted without belts on. Road safety charities slammed the move as “very disappointing and disrespectful”.
The Queen sparked a row after it was claimed her Land Rover had its seatbelt alarm turned off by request. Prince Philip’s vehicle also reportedly has the vital safety feature deactivated – to the fury of road safety campaigners. It comes as both royals were seen without their belts on — and just a week after Philip’s horror road smash.
A source said Jaguar Land Rover was instructed to disable the seatbelt alarm on vehicles supplied to the royals. They went on: “It’s so that the driver doesn’t have the continuous warning beeps if they don’t wear a seatbelt.”
Of all the royal “perks,” this seems like one of the dumbest and most dangerous. I mean, I get why Land Rover agreed to it, because it’s probably an easy customization for them to do and of course they want to remain the official vehicle sponsor of the Windsors. But wouldn’t it have been great if Land Rover had turned down this request on legal grounds? Like, “Yes, I understand that these two 90-something royal figures want this customization but we can’t do it in good faith, especially for our own liability.”
Photos courtesy of WENN, Avalon Red.
People complained about Diana not wearing a seatbelt the night she was killed, but in my opinion, this situation involving Philip is far worse because he keeps repeating the reckless behavior. Even the media reporting Philip’s behavior doesn’t make a difference.
The Windsors, for the most part, are unconscionable leeches.
Diana’s sister said she ALWAYS wore her seatbelt, and the only reason she wouldn’t have had it on is if it was broken. I do remember seeing various videos of Diana getting into her car (when driving herself) and reaching for the seatbelt.
And these people are supposed to set an example? What a way to make humanity a better place by showing that it’s OK to not take safety measures for yourself and everybody else. Good job.
Oh, but they have been sent from God to rule over us, doncha know. They must be immortal! Such arrogance and sheer stupidity to endanger themselves, but more importantly, others. Land Rover should never have agreed to it. But hey! Go ahead, kill yourselves. One less leech at the public trough.
It’s silly and reckless that they don’t wear them but it’s their choice. Not wearing a seatbelt endangers them, not other drivers. It’s not like running stop signs or driving drunk where others are endangered. I’m a libertarian when it comes to choices that only affect the person making the choice. I just don’t care.
My mother was in a car accident a few years back. She was driving with my grandmother in the back seat who refuses to wear a seat belt. Mom was sick of arguing so she went on her way. They were in a relatively minor accident, my grandmother was flung forward into my mothers seat and it broke my moms back in two places. Seat belts are very important and it’s beyond ridiculous for people not to wear them. Something so simple
I’m sorry that happened to your mother. It is simple to wear a seatbelt, I wear one too. I wouldn’t allow occupants in my own car not to, but I’m not going to tell other people what to do in their own cars. My brother in law is only alive because he doesn’t wear a seatbelt. He wasn’t wearing a seatbelt when he was in a bad accident and was ejected from the vehicle. Had he been strapped in he’d be dead because a pole came through the windshield and impaled the deiver’s seat. He was injured but made a full recovery, as opposed to no chance of survival had he had his on. His story is rare but he absolutely will not wear a seatbelt as a result and it’s his choice.
A person can swap story for story but at the end of the day, I don’t want to live in a nanny state. If an adult wants to make that choice with their own life so be it.
isnt there a law requiring people to wear seat belts when they are in the car…I don’t think asking people to be safe and responsible is equal to living in a nanny state. The man is 97 and everything he does is tax payer funded, maybe he should try to do better
SimmenAngus- you missed the point of Bryn’s story: that not wearing your seat belt doesn’t just affect you.
My aunt had a similar accident to your brother in law, where the truck she was riding in was sideswiped by a truck driver and broke both her legs. If she’d been strapped in the passenger side, she’d have died, but she was in the middle of the truck seat so she just broke two legs. But that story is not support for no seat belt laws. They save more lives/prevent more injuries than they cause, for sure. And it’s perfectly reasonable for laws to require them as what an individual does can affect others.
You say, “I’m a libertarian when it comes to choices that only affect the person making the choice. I just don’t care.” This is the problem with libertarian view; people’s actions don’t exist in a vacuum. There’s almost no choice that a person makes which doesn’t affect others. Seat belts are not one of them. You don’t wear your seat belt and you die, or get injured, that doesn’t just affect you. It affects your employer, your family, your friends, and what effects you might have on society in the future.
As far as I know there is some law/regulation so that you have to wear a seatbelt. Because you can get fined if you don’t.
God that’s terrible! Are both of them ok now?
I feel the same way about this as I do helmet laws, If you are willing to sign a waiver that you accept that no public money will go to fix you after you injure yourself for not wearing your seat belt or wearing a helmet-fine. But this kind of recklessness causes ALL OF OUR INSURANCE RATES TO GO UP and the cataclysmic damage that happens from not wearing either is huge and ludicrously expensive. (think brain surgery, paralyzation, coma, etc. ) People don’t realize that they DON’T HAVE THE MONEY to pay for the damages and so the rest of us do, and drs HAVE to treat these people because of the oaths they take. It’s absurd.
If any member of my family gets injured by somebody not wearing a seatbelt because that somebody thinks that not wearing a seatbelt endangers just himself … hope somebody can run fast and far.
You forget about the first responders to accidents where there are head injuries and other serious trauma. I also wonder how your waiver would work? Person at the side of the road refused attention because they are not wealthy? At the emergency room? How about at rehab so they can get back to work? Or leave them homeless on the side of the road once they are patched up? Wouldn’t work in a civilised society.
Drivers can handle most situations better when strapped in; they are more likely to stay oriented and control the car better. This isn’t about political philosophy; it’s about public safety – for the driver, for the driver’s passengers, and for others on the road.
Any one not wearing a seatbelt can become a projectile in an accident. Don’t start the car until everyone has theirs on. I handle motor vehicle litigation and when you read the accident reconstruction reports you see just how much more you can get injured when not wearing a seatbelt. Often it is the difference between death and being able to walk away.
Well it’s called being reckless. Seat belts save Iives in even minor accidents, it takes a second to put on and they aren’t uncomfortable. The fact that people seem to think it’s no big deal is blowing my mind.
This was a response to a dumb comment that the user must have deleted. Wear your seat belts people, it takes a second and it saves lives. Don’t be an idiot
Yes, I deleted a comment because I don’t get why people are caping for a 97-year-old reckless driver. this isn’t hard – Philip is wrong.
Yep! He’s in the wrong and it’s pretty simple.
I owe my life to a seat belt. Full stop.
You can also buy just the male bit of the clasp to stick it in if you don’t want to touch the eletronic sensors. Natural selection, I guess.
Yes, I have seen this several times, there is quite a number of people doing this.
I love you natural selection comment, I use it frequently and people tend to get mad at me. 🙂
I had a friend whose car had that seatbelt warning and she, the driver, refused to put hers on. So the warning was one that went up an octave the longer you waited and further you drove. I asked her if she just drives around listening to that sound and she said she just turns up the radio. I said to her just put on your seatbelt and she said she is not going to be told what to do by a person or her car. We are nowhere near the age of 90.
Madness!!
@Tiffany…she really sounds like a case.
Rebel without a cause.
Take Philiip’s AND the Queen’s keys away! I suppose that job would fall to their children. Can you imagine what a stubborn pain-in-the-ass Philip must be in his 90’s?
I was thinking about the whole seatbelt thing the other day and for a second thought, maybe it should be up to the person BUT then you think about the fact that if you don’t wear a seatbelt and you get into a minor fender bender it could actually lead to a more dangerous situation because you aren’t able to control your car if your seatbelt isn’t keeping you in place. Then it is definitely possible that wearing a seatbelt can hurt OTHERS and not just yourself.
Exactly right, theresa! I don’t see why some people aren’t getting it. I also can’t understand why this asshole Nazi Phil is still allowed to drive. Someone (his family, law enforcement) needs to stop him. He is a decrepit old fool, throw his butt in jail if he doesn’t comply. Those women and BABY could have been killed.
Come on, really? Last time I looked, he was an adult. As in Australia, where I live, it’s been the law in Britain for decades to wear a seatbelt – for drivers and passengers. If you’re a driver, especially one who’s been diving for longer than a lot of us have been alive, you should not need your bloody car to warn you to belt up. I’m a primary school teacher, and I’d bet that 99.9% of my young students (under 12) put their seat belts on automatically. Prince or not, he’s always been an arrogant git. If he had any concern, he’d hand in his license. But it’s a manly thing for a manly man to drive himself around.
British law states that seatbelts should be worn. No-one is above the law not even our pampered royals. However, I expect he will escape the fines/cautions etc that us plebs would receive in the same situation.
My mum’s fancy car has the seatbelt warnings on all seats so if you’re seating in the back and the seatbelt is not clasped in, the beeping will drive you crazy until you do.
My mum still refuses to wear her seatbealt and I have to manhandle her every single time, especially when the beeping sound goes higher, it drives me mad.
I don’t turn on the key until everyone is belted in. And I can out wait any stubborn old fool.
My son started driving late in life, so until he was about 19, he believed cars couldn’t start till the seat-belts were clicked in place. When he was out and about with his friends, the parents often complimented me on how compliant he was regarding seat-belts….when he simply believed the car couldn’t start till everyone was clicked in! This is one of my favourite ‘parenting hacks’! My parents were involved in Formula 1 car-racing; we saw how lives were saved on the track first-hand. The times when it didn’t save a life, like one of the stories above, are exceptionally rare.
If you live in a walled bubble, away from society, by all means, live with whatever risk your inner narrative dictates.
However, if you choose to live within a society, you do not have the right to impose your degree of self risk on others.
I say this as a RN with 30 years of experience. I can clearly recall the individuals I took care of as a result of people choosing risk and betting they won’t get caught. Babies dying of vaccine-preventable disease, handsome young men rendered vegetative as a result of head injury, my career has been an exercise is seeing what happens when you try your luck and lose.
My heart has broken a million times. Perhaps I should be immune to it all but I am not.
Nurses = angels.
I agree with you completely. The problem with the walled-off royals is that they when they need to use a public road their mindset of ‘me first’ endangers others as it did the other day. And Phillip was canny enough to immediately exclaim to the policemen on the scene that the sun got in his eyes…yet, it was an overcast day. It will be interesting to see what happens but the British are brought up to tug the forelock to this awful family. It will be a brave police dept that charges the old coot.
Co-sgn maggi. I use to have a job that required me to be on the scene with first responders. Until I saw senseless death and serious injury repeated over and over again, I did not fully grasp how fragile the human body is, and how everything–everything–can be taken away from one breath to the next.
I’ve seen so many people die horrible deaths because of a moment of inattentiveness. Sometimes, they take innocent people with them. And those people have children and families who will be devastated–these accidents have impacts that reverberate for a lifetime.
Prince Phillip has all of the money in the world to hire drivers, and yet he chooses to endanger innocent people on the road. He is fatally selfish.
(Sorry if I’m coming off as triggered, but I probably am.)
my brother never wears a seatbelt, even when driving. he *insists* his daughter wear her seatbelt, but won’t wear one himself. i always wonder if it isn’t some weird toxic masculinity thing in his case because he is generally very macho.
This isn’t a noble or princely way to act. I thought they were suppose to set a good example for society? It’s been proven numerous times that seatbelts save lives.
These pampered people with their arrogance on the road…I just can’t.
I’m sure Land Rover has a waiver or some kind of written documentation from the RF indicating that they want the alarm turned off and what that means as far as safety goes. Their legal department would require it to protect the company.
Then these cars are unroadworthy and would not pass the MOT test. They must get a new one every three years. There is no excuse for not wearing a seatbelt. As an Ambulance Officer (in a previous life) and Registered Nurse the horrendous injuries I have seen still haunt me.
I still don’t understand where in the hell he’s going.
I worked in forensic medicine for years as a pathologist.
I still have nightmares sometimes.
Wear a seatbelt.