Woman refuses to drive new friend who won't wear seatbelt, new friend lashes out.

There are few things more awkward than realizing a new friend isn't on the same page as you about something seemingly obvious like tipping well, believing in basic scientific principles, or wearing a seatbelt.

When a gap between you and a new friend is revealed, you have two choices: confront the awkward topic head-on, or let it sit and potentially deal with it later. Neither feel good, so it's really a matter of personal priority.

In a popular post on the AITA subreddit, a woman asked if she was wrong for telling a new friend she wouldn't drive her if she didn't wear a seatbelt.

She wrote:

AITA for refusing to drive my friend while she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, even though it made her late?

I (22f) joined a hiking group a few months ago to make some new friends. There, I met this girl named Reese (23f). We share a lot of the same interests and we became pretty good friends. For the past month or so, Reese has been on the hunt for a new job since her current one has abysmal pay.

She finally got an interview, but about 4 days ago, her car broke down and she had to take it to the shop. Because of this, she asked me to drive her to the interview and I agreed since her apartment and her interview site are both within 15 minutes of my apartment. On the day of the interview (2 days ago), I drove to Reese’s building she got in the car and everything seemed okay.

However, when I was pulling out of the parking lot, I noticed she wasn’t wearing her seatbelt. Since I’m uncomfortable driving people without seatbelts, I asked her to put it on, thinking she just forgot. But when I said that, she told me she doesn’t wear seatbelts. I immediately stopped the car and told her she needed to put it on and the car would not be moving while she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt.

Reese got upset and said that her uncle died in a car accident because he got twisted up in his seatbelt and wasn’t able to get out of the car before it exploded, so she doesn’t wear a seatbelt for “safety reasons.” I felt terrible for her, but I stood firm and said I didn’t want to get fined for her not wearing her seatbelt.

Furthermore, if we got in an accident and she got hurt because she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Reese only got more upset and said it was only a 15-minute drive and the chances of us getting into an accident are so low, so it doesn’t matter. She also said she’s a grown woman and I can’t control what she does.

I said that’s true, but I’m also a grown woman and I can choose whether or not I want to drive my car, and if she wasn’t going to wear a seatbelt, I wasn’t going to drive her. We argued for a little bit more before I told her she can get an Uber if she feels so strongly about it. Reese called me an a$#hole and got out of my car and I just left.

She later texted me and said that she ended up being late for her interview, and now because of me, she wasn’t going to get the job. I told her that all she had to do was put on a seatbelt and she made herself late. She responded that I wasn’t being understanding of her trauma and I’m a controlling b&^%h. So now I’m having second thoughts. I don’t know, should I have just bitten the bullet and driven her?

The post attracted a lot of comments from far and wide.

Sunshinehappyfeet wrote:

NTA. As a med surg nurse, I have seen the results of people not wearing seatbelts. It’s gruesome. Reese made herself late.

Phil_Achio wrote:

NTA, not even close, I've literally done this with friends and family. If you aren't wearing the seat belt you aren't riding with me period. Statistics speak volumes about this, it's the reason Volkswagen did not file a patent on the three-point seat belt.

Seat belts save lives end of story. If she has concerns with seat belts there are tons of tools you can find online that can be kept in the console, glove compartment etc, that allow you to easily break windows but you can also find them which allow you to cut a seat belt.

HumbleBee4396 wrote:

NTA - not only is Reese asking for a favor therefore needs to abide by your rules, but where I am from, you can be fined for not wearing a seatbelt. She will use the anecdote of her uncle’s death to overlook all of the lives that were saved by using seatbelts?

It’s only 15 minutes? Excellent! So she only has to wear the seatbelt for 15 minutes. It goes both ways. She made herself late. She could have put on the seatbelt and been on her way. I’m happy you stood firm.

Soph010101 wrote:

NTA - I’m pretty sure that in the majority of countries it’s also illegal to not wear a seat belt, and it would be you that ended up with a fine for it.

Clearly, OP is in no way TA, and even if Reese's sob story is real, it's no excuse to put herself in danger and make others liable.