Seatbelt Enforcement

[ricco67]

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been hearing from a couple of Conservative talk shows that the Seatbelt enforcement (believe it or not) is nothing more than a revenue generator and that they don't really care about safety.

During the course of this topic (which, incredibly enough, spanned over two weeks,which is an eternity for a talk show subject) people have admitted that they would rather not wear seatbelt because it was uncomfortable and quite a few of them said that they don't wear it at all(!). The reasons for not wearing the seatbelt varied widely, some because they don't think it helps in an accident and that they don't intend to get into one (!). Some were because that they were uncomfortable or that it wrinkled their clothes.

One of the more surprising statements that I have heard on the subject is that the police have no right ("it's just another eroding of my constitutional rights!") to "babysit" the American public about it's safety and that everyone should be responsible for the consequences of their action. The debate has been ongoing in New Hampshire and they will try to pass the law again since it has failed over the past several years(Link to story). I believe it has since been rejected yet again, but I'm not sure since I have been unable to find a link to confirm this.

While I'm going to take an informal poll during the next few weeks at work, I figure I'd touch upon here since we have a pretty reliable cross section of society on here.

[TJones]

The thing about seatbelts is, WHERE are they for the motorcycle rider ? No seatbelts for our kiddos in the big yellow box, on the way to school ? So, it does pose the question as to whether or not it IS a law passed to generate revenue. There's no helmet law either in the state of Texas for motorcycles, so why is it that we riders of the 2 wheeled varieties get a pass ? I think seatbelts are great inventions, I think they DO work, but it should be a choice as to whether I want to wear it or not. I think it should be mandatory for children to wear them, because those little monkeys can't think for themsleves and would jump around all over the seats if they could get away with it, but drivers and riders 18 or over should have the choice. Not wearing a seatbelt is not a distraction to your driving abilty as where yackin on your cellphone IS, when are we gonna pass THAT law ?

Edited May 26, 2007 by TJones

[bachanon]

when the first seat belt law was enacted (early 80's i think) i had a friend stress that i wear a my seat belt. every time she noticed i didn't have my seat belt on she would ream me. fortunately, wearing a seat belt became a habit for me before i ran off the road avoiding a red light runner, before i hydroplaned on a dark country road rolling my (brand new) honda accord, before i came over a hill at 75 mph only to hit a stalled vehicle in my lane at midnight (no street lights). my seat belts have saved my life and the life of those in my car more than once.

the police would do better to have neighborhoods they protect and are assigned to, rather than pulling people over (a dangerous activity) for not wearing a seat belt or going 7 mph over the speed limit. too much time is spent generating revenue rather than getting to know people where they live.

[Subdude]

Claiming that seat belt laws "erode Constitutional rights" is inane at best. It's all fine and good to say that people should be responsible for the consequences of their actions, but here in the real world a lot of people are foolish enough to do things like not wear seat belts because they don't want wrinkled clothes. There are a lot of laws out there to protect people from themselves. It isn't necessarily a bad thing.

[Jeebus]

No seatbelts for our kiddos in the big yellow box, on the way to school?

Not anymore: Seatbelts Required On Schoolbuses.

[ricco67]

Not anymore: Seatbelts Required On Schoolbuses.

This is the ultimate act of stupidity. I'm going on record and predicting that we will have major injuries and potentially more deaths PER accident than what we currently do.

What gets me is the following comment left on the story bottom:

Nurse37 wrote:

I recently took a 2 1/2 hr charter bus field trip with my 6 year old daughter to the zoo with her school. I was outraged that there was no seatbelts on the bus. I worried the entire trip because of the frequent bus wrecks on the news throughout our country. I have always wanted my child to be restrained in a vehicle, especially a school bus...the driver is huh? Why not the children? They are flying objects if they wreck! School bus seatbelts laws should be mandated in every state for the saftey of our children!

I mean, how truly paranoid do you have to be about your children? This is a helicopter parent in the making.

[TJones]

Not anymore: Seatbelts Required On Schoolbuses.

Sweet, we only have to wait another 3 years. Thankfully, my beautiful wife will be driving our daughters to school herself everyday, so they will have a seatbelt now.

Honestly though, I rode the bus to school everyday until I was 16, and not ONCE did I ever worry about the bus getting into a wreck. Number 1 because the damn things are so big, that hardly any car that hits it would have a chance. Secondly, I think the frequency that busses get into accidents is fairly uncommon. Third, I was just a stupid kid back then, and now that I am a stupid parent, the world has changed ever so drastically for me, because my world is my children and perspectives change at that point.

[ricco67]

I don't think that the buses have more accidents than your typical automobile. The only reason why you're seeing them on TV is because it makes good news. overall, I think they'd be safer in a big bus as opposed to a car or even an SUV.

Before you ask: Yes, I have a kid. yes, she rode the bus. Yes, she was in an accident, the bus flipped and all she got was a ding on the head. Never worried before or since the accident.

[TexasArchitect]

i say it's good to have that be a law. ppl always think well i'm a safe driver, but u have to worry about other ppl on the road hitting you. plus u have to think about ur family, friends, and loved ones, what does it hurt to put on ur seatbelt????

when i have passengers in my car i literally don't pull out of the driveway till they put their seatbelt on.

same thing w/ red light cameras. i'm all for them. if the city makes money off of stupid ppl passing them then good for the city.

O.T.

Mr Furley, LOL.....

[CDeb]

It always cracks me up when easy-to-follow laws are decried as revenue generators. Just follow the freakin' law, and you won't have to worry about it.

If taking the extra second-and-a-half to buckle up is too much of an inconvenience for you, I don't want you on the road with me because you probably don't have the temperment to be a responsible driver.

[Greg Foley]

The thing about seatbelts is, WHERE are they for the motorcycle rider ? .... There's no helmet law either in the state of Texas for motorcycles, so why is it that we riders of the 2 wheeled varieties get a pass ?..

Just because enough Bubbas think they are immortal that they manage to not have to act sensibly, does not mean that the majority of people riding in cars should not be legally bound to act responsibly. Have you ever seen a watermelon hit the pavement at even 30 miles per hour? I must admit, I find it incredulous every time I see someone riding a motor bike without a helmet. Even NFL players wear the damn things!

[Guest Marty]

I use the seat belt for safety and force of habit.