Seat belt laws.

[blue]

Alaska just made not wearing a seatbelt a primary offence. Click It or Ticket.

If you ride in my rig you are wearing the belt or no ride. The last 2 wrecks I was in the belts let me keep controll of the vehicles, 1 my Jeep the other the work van.

If I where to ride a bike I would make the choice to wear a helmet, my choice. When I ride or drive a vehicle I belt up, again my choice.

We make choices and we live and die by them. Do you really need the government to tell you or fine you to get you to do the smart thing?

 

[avenlee]

First off, I always wear a seat belt and of course, my children do also. It's funny how you brought this up, because my friends and I just had a discussion about this. An enactment for 'primary' seat belt laws in MA has been brought up for debate recently here.

Here in MA, the law is still a secondary law, meaning the police cannot pull you over just because he/she suspects you are not wearing a seat belt. There needs to be another reason (speeding, etc) to be fined ($25.00 and $25.00 for each passenger not restrained). The police can, however, pull you over if they suspect a child up to 7 yrs old ( I believe) not being restrained. MA legistration is trying to change the law to 'primary', but it has been tossed out by a very slim margin numerous times. Representatives argue that a primary law could lead to police disappropriately pulling over minority group members and racial profiling. CT is the only State in New England to have primary seat belt laws and New Hampshire hasn't adopted a seat belt law at all (secondary or primary) "LIVE FREE, OR DIE" is their State motto.

If MA were to adopt a primary seat belt law, it would enable the State to receive federal transportation grants adding up to millions (A bill signed in by Bush in August) It would also reduce insurance rates. Primary seat belt laws have proven to save lives, prevent injuries and saving millions of dollars in health care costs.

Taxpayers shell out millions of dollars for Medicaid costs to provide medical care for drivers and passengers severly injured in accidents because they weren't wearing seat belts. Bottom line, they don't buckle up, I pay for it.

 

[Fran27]

It's one of those things that people shouldn't be told to do, but they don't do it so it has to be a law for them to respect it. Pretty sad.

But Avenleee is right, unfortunately just because some guy is irresponsible, everyone else pays for it...

 

[Dizzy]

I've been in enough crashes to know you NEED to wear a seat belt.

And the police will pull you up over here if you don't.

 

[Melissa_W]

We have the "Click it or ticket" thing here too. Of course, I don't agree with it. You don't hurt anyone but yourself by not wearing one, so it's your choice. I'm for letting idiots be idiots as long as it doesn't hurt others... it cleans up the gene pool.

 

[Babyblue5290]

We got the "click it or ticket" thing either the begining of this year or last year. It was a recent thing, and I agree. It's not hurting anyone but yourself not to wear a seatbelt.

 

[Renee750il]

We have the "Click it or ticket" thing here too. Of course, I don't agree with it. You don't hurt anyone but yourself by not wearing one, so it's your choice. I'm for letting idiots be idiots as long as it doesn't hurt others... it cleans up the gene pool.

It also provides a convenient "probable cause" to pull someone over on a hunch . . . I've stood in too many courtrooms and listened to too many cops gossip not to realize that . . .

 

[Dizzy]

THE HUMAN COLLISION

The second collision is the "human collision". At the moment of impact, passengers in the car are still traveling at the vehicles original speed. When the car comes to a complete stop the passengers continue to be hurled forward until they come in contact with some part of the automobile. For example, the steering wheel, the dashboard, the front window or back of the front seat. Humans in a crash can also cause serious injuries to other humans when they collide with each other. People in the front seat of a car are often hit by rear-seat passengers as they fly forward with incredible force.

 

[Dizzy]

Getting in a car with no seatbelt on is risking OTHER peoples lives who are in the car with you if you crash.

I have been in an accident where our car was towing a caravan. The caravan got a puncture, we lost control and the car rolled.

I can't IMAGINE how different the outcome would have been without a seatbelt on.

It isn't hard to do.

 

[gaddylovesdogs]

I agree with seatbelt laws. Car crashes put many people in danger. I always put on my seatbelt, if I don't it just feels weird.

 

[bubbatd]

Same here except for trucks....most deaths here involve trucks and the people are tossed out.

 

[Jules]

Yes, because there are enough stupid people out there.
As you said, the last two wrecks you were in, you were able to control your vehicles because you wore a belt. So maybe you didn't only save your life, but someone elses, too (depending on the traffic situation). I think that's a legitimate reason for seat belt laws.

If we would eliminate all laws that restrict us in personal things we do but apparently don't bother anyone else..why don't legalize all drugs? I'm not hurting my neighbor when I use heroin every night, do I?
If I pay a prostitute for sex every day I'm not hurting anyone either.
If I'm an attractive and charming 30 year old man who has sex with your consenting 15 year old daughter...it doesn't hurt anyone either.

 

[Denaluvscorgis]

It's been that way in Oregon for a really long time.

 

[Zoom]

Kansas has had "click it or ticket" going on for a while now. They've amped up the advertising now to highlight truck rollover crashes. I can't not wear a seatbelt in a car anyway, so it doesn't really affect me much.

 

[Melissa_W]

Yes, because there are enough stupid people out there.
As you said, the last two wrecks you were in, you were able to control your vehicles because you wore a belt. So maybe you didn't only save your life, but someone elses, too (depending on the traffic situation). I think that's a legitimate reason for seat belt laws.

If we would eliminate all laws that restrict us in personal things we do but apparently don't bother anyone else..why don't legalize all drugs? I'm not hurting my neighbor when I use heroin every night, do I?
If I pay a prostitute for sex every day I'm not hurting anyone either.
If I'm an attractive and charming 30 year old man who has sex with your consenting 15 year old daughter...it doesn't hurt anyone either.

Actually, I think that all victimless crimes should be legalized, drugs and prostitution included. But I wouldn't call sex with minors a victimless crime. The minor definitely a victim in that case, so of course that should remain illegal. Just my opinion!

 

[IliamnasQuest]

Having been an EMT for years and responding to numerous motor vehicle accidents, I'm a strong believer in wearing a seat belt.

It's a shame that safety has to be made into a law for some people to respond to it, but I guess that's the way things are.

When a person chooses not to wear a seat belt and they get injured in a wreck that otherwise may not have caused much injury, it affects all sorts of people. If affects the loved ones of that person who now have to deal with the injury or death of their child/parent/sibling, etc. They have to help with the person's recovery, help take care of their animals, help with their expenses. They have to deal with the emotional side of it - the fear of losing the person, the stress of worry.

And when emergency workers - paramedics, EMT's, first responders, police officers - respond to a wreck where someone has been injured or killed, it's definitely a stress on them too. Yes, they are in that job because they chose to be there. But it's hard to see someone injured especially when it could have been avoided. It's especially hard to see a child injured or killed when it could have been avoided! I will always have etched in my mind the vision of the young child in the ER undergoing open heart massage in an attempt to revive her .. an attempt which failed .. and she was injured due to the mistake of her parents.

And then there's the cost of dealing with the injuries of those who may not have been injured if they'd had the brains to wear a seatbelt. They may have insurance that will cover, but if they don't then you know that the costs will be absorbed by the rest of us taxpayers. You know that if their injuries result in permanent disability, the taxpayers will end up paying for the rest of that person's life.

There just isn't much out there that happens that doesn't affect other people besides the initial person. You just have to look beyond the box to realize that.

Melanie and the gang in Alaska

 

[DanL]

We've had click it or ticket here for a while too. I always wear my belt, and so does everyone that rides with me. It makes perfect sense. I survived my childhood without a bike helmet though, and we used to do some dumb things involving bikes, plywood, and a little 10 year old ingenuity. But my kids always had to have theirs on.

The reason it has to be a law probably has a lot to do with medical bills and insurance costs. Wearing a belt = less injury = less medical costs = lower insurance costs.

 

[bubbatd]

We are pulled over here and fined if they don't see a belt strap.

 

[jess2416]

We have had "Click it or Ticket" for a while here in NC also

 

[GlassOnion]

We have click it or ticket in TX too, have for a long time.


But that's fine by me. I buckle up all the time, always have after my parents told me to buckle up and I, grudgingly, did. Five minutes later we got in an accident. Was kind of weird.


Now a days, if you ride in my car, you buckle up or we aren't going ANYwhere. Not even down the block.

One of my friends drives/rides without a seat belt on (hasn't been caught yet, he has tinted windows anyways) but everytime he gets into my car he remembers. Took him a few times but he's got it down now.



However I don't think the government should tell us how to protect ourselves. I would have the same rules on my motorcycle (wear your gear or you don't ride pillion) but a lot of people don't like wearing helmets on a motorcycle. It is really noisy with one on but still, a visualization of my head hitting a curb at some 35+ MPH isn't a pretty one.

But if people want to make themselves a victim, that's fine by me. As long as it doesn't (directly) affect anyone else (family members/friends are indirect affects).