North Face Greenland

Why don't bullet proof vest go all the way down your abdomen?

I have never seen a real one but in every movie or tv show I have ever seen the vest stop right above the actors stomach. Why is that? I mean I would assume you would die if you got shot there and did not have medical attention right? So why do the vest stop above the stomach line? The only thing I can think of is that it would prevent you from your full abilities. Running and jumping, that sort of stuff. Is that it? And yes I understand movies and tv are not real. I know they are just actors doing their jobs.

Public Comments

1. Some do. Lemme school you for a second. All of it is referred to as "body armor". Bullet proof vests are body armor in the form of a vest, meaning it looks like a vest. Depending on what the armor was intended for it can cover different parts of your body. In fact there was some debate years ago about the body armor that police officers use because they wanted to close it up a bit more around the arms and have it cover lower than the waist but many thought that it would restrict movement.
2. You have it right. Bullet proof vests have undoubtedly saved lives, but they pose problems too. One, as you perceive, is that is keeps an officer/soldier from moving fully, and having it cover the stomach would make this worse. They wouldn't be able to bend over at all. Also, the added weight slows a person down, and making it cover the stomach would mean even more weight. Getting hit in the stomach causes massive bleeding, but there isn't really anything vital. Apply pressure, which is easy to do for the stomach, and you can probably last till help arrives. The chest, of course, has many vital organs, and you can't apply pressure due to the ribs.
3. As one who has worn a vest on and off for 30 years, I can tell you that one that went all the way down to, or past, my waistline would prohibit me from sitting down... period. There has to be some 'comfort' room in vests or officers won't wear them. I remember my first vest MANY years ago that what I would sit down, I looked like a hunchbacked turtle... the vest would push my uniform shirt up and it would nearly reach the bottom of my ears. The one I wear today is comfortable and hardly noticeable after I got used to it.
4. All bullet resistant vest I have worn, excluding tactical vest, come down to where your waist is, if properly fitted. A tactical vest provides protection a person groin area. What you see on TV is TV, watch "Cops" or " Rookies" and you will see how the vest is properly seated. The vest is restrictive and hot during the summer, but it beats a a penetrating bullet would. I was shot (45 and 38) in the chest and back, knocking me to the ground, I was able to get up and kill both assailants. When I got to the hospital, I had two dents and massive bruising, but no organ damage!!!!
5. I work in a jail as a Correctional Officer and although we do not wear our vests inside the jail we do utilize them while escorting inmates into the community. Our Vests start up by the shoulderblade and continue until our hips. Our core is completely covered