Big Fat Fury!

You know, I have always been pretty even keeled about my size. I know that I got myself here. I am not "big boned" nor do I have a "glandular problem". I am big because I eat too much and exercise too little. Simple as that. I don't blame Mc Donald's, I don't blame anyone but myself. I have endured the stares and jokes with what I hope is grace. I have lost jobs due to fat discrimination, I have lost online "contacts" once the men found out my size. I have been asked my innocent children if I was going to have a baby, I even had an oncologist tell me to lose 50 pounds in one month because the risks of having my cancer surgery fat, outweighed (pardon the pun) the risks of the cancer killing me. So when I say that it takes a lot to get me mad about weight issues, I do mean it. But today something happened that has me so angry that I want to cry.

My daughter is part of a cheerleading squad that is traveling to Kentucky from Missouri. We will be driving in two vans, carpooling to save gas and money. I figured that I had better double check that the seat belts would fit me in both the front and back seats of both vans. The first van, a Chrysler Town and Country was a tight fit in the front seat, but I had ample room in the back seat. OK, that was great, but we were planning on me riding in the other van; so I tried it out. The front seat belt was again, a tight fit, but this time there was a much shorter belt in the back seat. There was no way it was going to even begin to fasten, let alone be comfortable. But, I didn't think it was a big problem because I figured that I would call my local Kia dealership's parts department and ask to buy a seat belt extender. Guess what? Kia does not make seat belt extenders! I asked the parts manager if Kia wanted us big people to just ride around without seat belts or did they want us to fly through the windshield in a crash? I know, it wasn't nice to take out my frustrations on the parts manager, it isn't his fault. So I decided that I had better check with Kia to make sure that this information was accurate.


I finally found a phone number for Kia customer service and spoke with a person. She had to go look up how to placate an angry fat person wanting a seat belt extender, and came back with Kia's official stance on the issue. It would seem that Kia does not offer extenders because they put the person wearing them at risk because they change the "geometry of how a seat belt fits". They further say that if a person does wear one it is their choice to "alter the car" and that it is at their own risk. The lady offered me two websites from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that came up as being non-valid sites. I think that she was trying to show me that the NHTSA frowns upon using extenders. And that was the extent of the call. So here is my dilemma. If I had no choice but to ride in that van I would have to put my life at risk and break the law because the seat belt in the back will not fasten and I can't get an extender from Kia. I did find a company that makes a "universal" extender, and I plan to order one and hope it comes in before we leave, but I am very angry that Kia (and several other car companies) don't offer seat belt extenders! Can anyone guess what brand of car I will NEVER buy?