History Main / JammedSeatbelts

* In ''Comicbook/DaredevilBornAgain'', the Kingpin tries to kill [[Comicbook/{{Daredevil}} Matt Murdock]] this way, justified in that the buckle is chemically treated to be unopenable.

For those not in the military though, not only are you in general more likely to be saved by a seatbelt than killed by one that jams, ''even in the specific situation'' where you need to get out in a hurry (e.g. due to falling off a bridge into water) and the second or so it takes to remove your seatbelt counts, it's still better to be wearing a seatbelt, because if you're not, you're more likely to be unconscious, dazed, or possibly be killed in an accident. For those still concerned about being trapped, mounting an escape tool (which combines an easy to use seat belt cutter with a hammer designed to easily shatter tempered glass car windows) in the car and wearing the belt is a much safer idea. That said, a character dying or nearly dying due to a safety device is too deliciously ironic an idea for some writers to pass up (see FailsafeFailure).

For those not in the military though, not only are you in general more likely to be saved by a seatbelt than killed by one that jams, ''even in the specific situation'' where you need to get out in a hurry (e.g. due to falling off a bridge into water) and the second or so it takes to remove your seatbelt counts, it's still better to be wearing a seatbelt, because if you're not, you're more likely to be unconscious or dazed. For those still concerned about being trapped, mounting an escape tool (which combines an easy to use seat belt cutter with a hammer designed to easily shatter tempered glass car windows) in the car and wearing the belt is a much safer idea. That said, a character dying or nearly dying due to a safety device is too deliciously ironic an idea for some writers to pass up (see FailsafeFailure).

* ''Film/Thunderball(film)''. After landing a plane in the water, minor villain Angelo Palazzi realises that he is stuck while the plane sinks. Since he planned to land in the water he has an air supply, so he isn't to disturbed. When main villain Largo arrives Palazzi signals Largo that he is stuck. Largo pulls a knife, and cuts Palazzi's air supply, leaving him to drown.

* ''Film/Thunderball''. After landing a plane in the water, minor villain Angelo Palazzi realises that he is stuck while the plane sinks. Since he planned to land in the water he has an air supply, so he isn't to disturbed. When main villain Largo arrives Palazzi signals Largo that he is stuck. Largo pulls a knife, and cuts Palazzi's air supply, leaving him to drown.

* ''Film/{{Rush|2013}}'' depicts the RealLife crash of Nicki Lauda at the Nürburgring track. The five-point seatbelt is focused on before the race begins, and in the crash, Lauda struggles with it while burning alive. The other drivers who come to rescue him manage to pop the catch.

* Happens twice in an episode of ''Series/{{NCIS}}''. A Navy lieutenant's seatbelt jams in an experimental robotic car as it suffocates her to death with exhaust. Later, the same thing happens to Abby, who manages to escape with Gibbs' help. [[spoiler:Turns out the seatbelt jamming was intentional: a killer had programmed the car to jam the seatbelt and re-route exhaust through the air conditioning system.]]
** [[spoiler:This raises the question of why the car was capable of locking down the seatbelt in the first place. There was no reason for it to be able to lock.]]
*** [[spoiler:And, more importantly, why it was able to REROUTE THE EXHAUST. Engine fumes and breathing air do NOT mix in a normal car. That'd be suicidally stupid.]]

* In ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' Aeryn Sun drowned in a frozen lake because the seatbelt on her ejector seat jammed - ironically due to the same incident that forced her to eject in the first place.

* In the first season of ''Series/IceRoadTruckers'' it's specifically noted that when driving big rigs over frozen lakes and rivers, drivers remove their seatbelts to bail more quickly. With a 15-20 MPH speed limit, injuries due to impacts aren't really a concern anyway.

[[folder:Comicbooks]]

[[folder:Film]]
* Rogue gets caught in a burning truck this way at the beginning of ''Film/XMen1'', and has to be rescued by Cyclops, who breaks the buckle open with an {{Eye Beam|s}}. Wolverine, who was not wearing his, gets thrown a good twenty feet out through the windshield and is only saved from serious injury or death by his [[MadeOfIron unbreakable bones]] and HealingFactor. In the second film Rogue has trouble putting ''on'' her seatbelt in an airplane, and subsequently gets sucked out of it.
* ''Film/FinalDestination1'' A car stalled on train tracks has one seatbelt jam, trapping the occupant until the very last minute. Possibly justified, since every death in the series is set up in a Rube Goldberg style relying on a series of coincidences.

* ''No Mercy'' (1986). Richard Gere plays an undercover cop posing as a hitman, who's contracted to kill a Cajun gangster by a UsefulNotes/NewOrleans businessman. As they're negotiating the deal the gangster turns up with his mooks. The cop dives out of the car but the businessman's seatbelt jams for no apparent reason, and he promptly gets blown up by a rifle grenade.

* ''Film/{{Gravity}}''. Mission Control warns that a cloud of debris is heading towards the space shuttle. The female protagonist is strapped to the shuttle's claw arm and has trouble freeing herself (being inexperienced in zero-G conditions) and is still attached when the debris cloud hits, severing the arm and sending her spinning off into space.
* In ''Film/TheThieves'', Pepsee is trapped in a sinking police van after she is accidentally handcuffed to the inside of the van.

* ''Film/{{Rush|2013}}'' depicts the RealLife crash of Nicki Lauda at the Nürburgring track. The five-point seatbelt is focused on before the race begins, and in the crash, Lauda struggles with it while burning alive. The other drivers who come to rescue him manage to pop the catch.

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'': Any spirit, demon, etc. that traps a victim in a car will have the power to cause all the locks to jam shut.

* There was a background plot in an episode of ''Series/TheWestWing'' where some woman whose husband had died because he wasn't wearing a seatbelt was trying to sue the president for pointing out in a speech (as an example of a situation where the benefits outweigh the risks) that sometimes seatbelts jam, claiming that this was what had led her husband not to wear one. Sam spent the episode arguing that Bartlet should come out in favor of a national seatbelt law to counter the bad publicity. Bartlet wasn't having it.
-->"Today's cars are safer than they've ever been. They've all got airbags, they've all got seatbelts, and they're all crash-tested from here to Tuesday. All that's left is personal behavior and bad luck, and, I'm not responsible for either one. And Sam, if Mrs. Landingham was here right now, she'd say the exact same thing. You know what I'm saying?"

* ''Series/{{Vera}}'': In "Silent Voices", Joe has to dive into a reservoir to save a woman TrappedInAsinkingCar. It takes several attempts for the two of them to get the seatbelt open.
* ''Series/{{CSI}}'': In "Bloodsport", one VictimOfTheWeek is a woman who is TrappedInASinkingCar by a jammed seatbelt, and who drowns after she accidentally shoots a man who is attempting to rescue her.

* In the HiddenObjectGame ''Nightmare Realm'' from Big Fish Games, a toddler is trapped in her car safety-seat by a jammed strap. Luckily the seat itself did its job, and the little girl was unharmed by the accident that got her stuck.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' has a slightly different version where the person was just unable to get out of a car he was hiding in ([[spoiler:which later exploded]]), and the other person inside even asked why he buckeled up in a ''non-moving'' car.
* In ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' episode "Hank Gets Dusted", [[Music/ZZTop Dusty Hill]] gets his beard trapped in his seatbelt during a crash up derby which his car is in flames and other cars are about to hit him. Hank has to rescue him by cutting his trademark beard.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AllHailKingJulien'' Julien's plan to pilot a robot about to self destruct over a cliff and jump out just before he does is hampered by a seat belt.
-->'''Julien''': Timo! What is this thing around my waist?
-->'''Timo''': It's a safety belt, your majesty!
-->'''Julien''': News flash, I don't feel very safe right now because I'm strapped to an exploding dinosaur!!

* In the first season of ''Series/IceRoadTruckers'' it's specifically noted that when driving big rigs over frozen lakes and rivers, drivers remove their seatbelts to bail more quickly. With a 15-20 MPH speed limit, injuries due to impacts aren't really a concern anyway.

For those not in the military though, not only are you in general more likely to be saved by a seatbelt than killed by one that jams, ''even in the specific situation'' where you need to get out in a hurry (e.g. due to falling off a bridge into water) and the second or so it takes to remove your seatbelt counts, it's still better to be wearing a seatbelt, because if you're not, you're more likely to be unconscious or dazed. That said, a character dying or nearly dying due to a safety device is too deliciously ironic an idea for some writers to pass up (see FailsafeFailure).

* In ''Series/TheSopranos'', Sean Gismonte and Matthew Bevilaqua try to kill Christopher by shooting him from a car. When Christopher starts shooting back, Matthew exits the car and gets away, but Sean gets tangled up in his seatbelt. Unfortunately for him, this makes him a pretty easy target.