Ray,

I know (hope) your statement was tongue-in-cheek, but it is worth a
comment. Your "spare tire" (or even your six-pack abs) won't prevent
you from submarining. Your lap belts must be and stay securely
locked down on your pelvis. I have an article from one of the auto
racing labs which shows that your pelvis can withstand 5,000 lbs of
force whereas the soft organs of your gut will be severely compromised
at less than 800. Assuming in a crash that the straps around your
middle take 50% of the load (obviously, that will depend on many
factors - crash angle, deceleration mode, etc. etc.), that still means
that anything approaching an 8g deceleration (maybe less) will be
serious trouble. Now, that's an otherwise survivable crash, so it
would be a shame to have a problem. Especially in the older,
flatter seat pans, it doesn't take an especially creative mind to
visualize the submarining that happens without a properly secured lap
belt.

Erik Mann
LS8-18 (P3)