[Closed] Seat belt cutter

Used my leatherman to cut a few seat belts in my time.

No, but I've a Riggers Knife in the van which is scary sharp.

Used my leatherman to cut a few seat belts in my time.

"A few"? 😯 Do you work in the emergency services?

Yeah, I've got a pair of Leatherman EMT folding shears with a fold-out webbing cutter. The scissor blades are serrated and [i]seriously[/i] heavy duty, I carry them just in case, I do roughly 40-odd thousand miles a year all over the country, and you never know if a situation where it might be necessary to get someone out of a vehicle quickly might happen right in front of you.
Driving over the Severn Bridge this afternoon I noticed several cars on the opposite lane hard-shoulder, with people standing around, but traffic going past, then I noticed a van lying on its side and the traffic starting to build up, so it had only happened a minute or two prior; difficult for someone to get out in that situation, being able to quickly slice the belt through safely to allow a person get themselves out with help might make all the difference.
I hope I never have to use it.

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The actual shears are amazing for slicing through all sorts of stuff, though.

As I mentioned in another thread, I used to be a motorsport marshal, so yes, I have one. A good one is very, very good and much better (safer, easier) than a knife, even a good one.

Never had an issue with seat belts jamming but it has been the case it was easier just to cut it with a pair of tough cuts.

I have one.

The seatbelts in Toyotas start to ratchet in if you pull them out all the way. I read a story about a toddler who pulled hers out all the way then it went into ratchet mode and constricted her to death.

I've got one of the emergency hammers with a belt cutter in my front-of-drivers-seat pocket. I hope I never have to use it, but it's somewhere I can grab it quickly if needed.

[quote=Cougar ]
"A few"? Do you work in the emergency services?

work is bit of a strong word. I go to a fire station for a 2 days /2 nights a week.

[quote=Drac ]Never had an issue with seat belts jamming but it has been the case it was easier just to cut it with a pair of tough cuts.

Nor us, we cut the belt and tie to door and use that to bend brake or clutch pedal to free feet trapped in RTC

We have them in all the cars at work never known anyone to ever use them. Imho Cutting people out of seat belts and out of cars, unless there's a risk of fire or other injury is a job for professionals and risks injuring them further. And if we're forcibly extracting a punter someone uses the seatbelt release button

Yeah cos doing nothing is the best. 🙄

No but regular training in first aid for catastrophic injuries, using neck braces, tourniquets and how to deal with being the first person at a serious incident over the last decade or so and no instructor had ever said "cut the belt and drag a potentially injured person out of a car" like you see in tv. No it's assessing the risk trying your best to preserve life and ensuring you don't make things worse but you blunder on in with a wee belt cutter

Having had similar discussions as a marshal (and generally, at larger events, we are not allowed to extract anyone from a car, there are teams for that) the one situation that comes up regularly is fire. If the car is on fire, significantly, then getting them out (as carefully as possible, but also as quickly as possible) is their best chance of survival. In that case farting around trying to undo a 6 point harness that you might not know well is a waste of time. In a road accident I imagine that farting around putting your whole body in a burning car trying to release the seatbelt is also not a good options (I mean I have child seats, and I'm good with them, but there are times when I lose time just fumbling around like a virgin trying to undo a bra. Add a flaming car and life threatening situation to that and I'd be useless..)

Are first responders using neck braces any more? I understand that ski patrollers in NA are moving away from these now, and away from even taking c-spine
Car's on fire.. possible spinal injury.. I assume you're trained to pull the person out quick smart regardless of their physical condition. Life first and all that.

I didnt even know they existed

We've got rid of them now did have them for years. My previous post mentioned fire as a need for rapid extraction. I've been immediately behind one motorway pile up, come across a few crashes and done a fair few rapid extractions of people from cars as have a lot of my mates and the seatbelt cutter is not an item that is used regularly . I suspect the average STW motorist would be better off spending their cash on a good first aid kit for their car.

Oh well, I'll just have to use the hammer to free dogs from hot cars! 😀

work is bit of a strong word. I go to a fire station for a 2 days /2 nights a week.work is bit of a strong word. I go to a fire station for a 2 days /2 nights a week.

😆

Nor us, we cut the belt and tie to door and use that to bend brake or clutch pedal to free feet trapped in RTC

Yup a clever technique.

I also like the 'new' method of removing doors by compressing the wing then snipping the door brackets.

orangespyderman and kilo - pretty much my attitude, it's an extra facility on a multitool that [i]might[/i], one day, make that extra difference, as I said, I hope I'm never in the situation of having to make the decision.

Wow, is this "a thing"?

I have a vitorinox multi knife in the glovebox, it's got a corkscrew in it that's been used quite a lot ackcheweleee...

Shears and seatbelt cutters are great tools (shears can be used to cut off clothing) but not as macho as a sodding great dive knife 😉

I carry one of these in my courier bag...

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Useless for cheese though....

Bru we also use it to support the casualties when getting onto a board after a roof removal. The police told us they prefer them cut as it leaves the belt buckle in place as proof they had it on, I'd have thought the shoulder trauma shows that but who knows lol

I've always taken a glass hammer/belt cutter in the car. Never know when I might need to make a rapid escape or help someone else.

I have a first aid kit too, so, you know. Don't expect I'll ever need to use either in anger.

FAK in the boot, along with other useful bits

Multitool in the glovebox, handy for day to day stuff

res-q-me in the door pocket. Put it on my xmas list ages ago, figured it would be something interesting and better than socks. the res-q-me has a glass breaker and a seat belt cutter, the pic is further up

I have the Resqme, too. It has the sprung loaded glass breaker which in my mind, should you end up submerged, is better than a normal hammer. I'm guessing (because I've never been in a submerged vehicle) that the normal hammer might be a bit of an effort to swing with the water weight.

philjunior - Member
I've always taken a glass hammer/belt cutter in the car. Never know when I might need to make a rapid escape or help someone else.

I have a first aid kit too, so, you know. Don't expect I'll ever need to use either in anger.

Me too.

Id always assumed that if it got to the point that a seat belt cutter was suddenly vital thing to own, Id already pretty much lost the game.

Carried one on me for 7 years and thankfully never had to use it. It now sits in a go-bag in the back of my car with a decent first aid kit. No idea why I kept it when I stopped flying, seemed a waste to just bin it.