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Seat Belts
- Thread starter Fluffy
- Start date
c0da
Active Member
I think people should wear them - but I think the fact that it is the law is rather pointless. People would be much safer with their seatbelt on if they were involved in an accident, but the police have no real of making sure people are wearing their belt. I must say that I am guilty of not wearing my seatbelt on a few occasions, as are many other people I'm sure.
Mercy Not Sacrifice
Well-Known Member
I think front seat belts are required every state except New Hampshire, as are children in all 50 states below a certain age regardless of where they sit.
Seat belts are a proven life-saver. Your chances of surviving a crash while wearing one improve by something like 50%. Collisions at relatively slow speeds, such as 30 m.p.h., can be much more life-threatening if a seat belt is not worn.
In addition, passengers in the back seat pose a danger to those in front of them if the former are not buckled in. Their bodies can literally turn into missiles during a collision, risking serious injury to those in the front seat even if they are properly buckled in.
I honestly don't have a problem with the government mandating that we take a simple measure to save our lives. It's analogous with fire codes--they exist for a good reason. Honestly, which is worse: to get a ticket for not buckling your seat belt, or to risk killing yourself or someone else?
Seat belts are a proven life-saver. Your chances of surviving a crash while wearing one improve by something like 50%. Collisions at relatively slow speeds, such as 30 m.p.h., can be much more life-threatening if a seat belt is not worn.
In addition, passengers in the back seat pose a danger to those in front of them if the former are not buckled in. Their bodies can literally turn into missiles during a collision, risking serious injury to those in the front seat even if they are properly buckled in.
I honestly don't have a problem with the government mandating that we take a simple measure to save our lives. It's analogous with fire codes--they exist for a good reason. Honestly, which is worse: to get a ticket for not buckling your seat belt, or to risk killing yourself or someone else?
Booko
Deviled Hen
Seat belts should be a requirement, just as motorcycle helmets should.
For those who argue that passing a law won't matter because it can't be enforced, I offer you the example of my mother, who never wore a seat belt until it was legally required, and then being the law abiding sort she is, she has since worn her seat belt without fail. She's not alone in this, as many of those in her generation in her area did the same.
I would've lost my head, literally, twice over before I was 20 if I had not been wearing a seat belt, so I've never needed any convincing.
For those who argue that passing a law won't matter because it can't be enforced, I offer you the example of my mother, who never wore a seat belt until it was legally required, and then being the law abiding sort she is, she has since worn her seat belt without fail. She's not alone in this, as many of those in her generation in her area did the same.
I would've lost my head, literally, twice over before I was 20 if I had not been wearing a seat belt, so I've never needed any convincing.
finalfrogo
Well-Known Member
If it was a legal requirement, it would save a lot of lives.
xander-
Member
And while we're making that a law to save lifes, how about we take away cigerettes, alcohol. Or we could take cars away so we wouldn't have accidents! And we could take away coffee, computer moniters, electric sockets. And we could outlaw fast-food!
Or, we could let people have a little god-damn responsibility in their lives?
I do not have a car, but if I'm in a car I rarely wear the seatbelt unless the person could get a fine for me not wearing it. Or if the driver asks me too.
Or, we could let people have a little god-damn responsibility in their lives?
I do not have a car, but if I'm in a car I rarely wear the seatbelt unless the person could get a fine for me not wearing it. Or if the driver asks me too.
Fluffy
A fool
I am not arguing that wearing a seat belt is not a good idea nor that seat belts do not save the lives of the people who wear them. I am asking whether either of these things is sufficient basis for turning that into a law.
I say that a person should be responsible for his safety and the law should be responsible for keeping others safe from that person. Therefore, helmets and seat belts should not be enforced by law.
However, as Mercy pointed out, wearing a seat belt in the back of a car can save the life of the people sitting in the front. Therefore, I would support a law making seat belts mandatory for people sitting in the rear of a car.
I say that a person should be responsible for his safety and the law should be responsible for keeping others safe from that person. Therefore, helmets and seat belts should not be enforced by law.
However, as Mercy pointed out, wearing a seat belt in the back of a car can save the life of the people sitting in the front. Therefore, I would support a law making seat belts mandatory for people sitting in the rear of a car.
kateyes
Active Member
I would be the last person anyone would expect to invite the government to interfere with my life. However on this one--I had to vote yes--I am alive today because I was wearing a seat belt when a drunk pulled out to pass on a 2 lane road. (Hit us head on--he wasn't wearing a seat belt--I and my passenger were-he died we didn't.) I am all for people taking responsibility for themselves--but this is one that it just seems silly to me not to legislate(like the maximum speed limit). It is proven to save lives and is a very small thing in a daily routine. If you are in my car its doesn't move until EVERYONE (front and back) has buckled up.
Smoke
Done here.
When I was a kid, my mother was very strict about seat belts. The car didn't move unless everybody was buckled up. That also meant my dad had to install seat belts in any car we had that didn't come with them -- not all cars came with seat belts in the back seat then.
It was much less common for people to buckle up then; in most families, all the kids piled in the back of the station wagon -- or the back of the pickup -- and off you went. Once when a neighbor went somewhere with us, he was shocked to see the way you had to ride in my mom's car, and when he got home he told his mother, "Miss Kate tied us to the car!"
So, we hated them. They were unusual, they limited your mobility (obviously), and when you're little they limit your ability to see out of the car, too. When I got old enough to drive I never wore seat belts -- until I took an EMT course. Learning exactly what happens to you when you're thrown through a windshield was a real eye-opener.
Still, I feel sorry for kids who'll never get to go for a ride in the back of a pickup truck.
It was much less common for people to buckle up then; in most families, all the kids piled in the back of the station wagon -- or the back of the pickup -- and off you went. Once when a neighbor went somewhere with us, he was shocked to see the way you had to ride in my mom's car, and when he got home he told his mother, "Miss Kate tied us to the car!"
So, we hated them. They were unusual, they limited your mobility (obviously), and when you're little they limit your ability to see out of the car, too. When I got old enough to drive I never wore seat belts -- until I took an EMT course. Learning exactly what happens to you when you're thrown through a windshield was a real eye-opener.
Still, I feel sorry for kids who'll never get to go for a ride in the back of a pickup truck.
jamaesi
To Save A Lamb
I don't think that not wearing a seat belt should be something that alone will get you a ticket- but if you're caught speeding, drunk driving, or in another traffic violation while not wearing a seatbelt you should be ticketed for the offense and lack of seatbelt. It's similar to the law in Pennsylvania where you need to have your car's lights turned on in an active work zone, but you can't be ticketed for no lights unless you have been pulled over for another traffic violation.
If you're in an accident and harm or kill someone in a direct result of not wearing a seat belt, I think assault or manslaughter would be a proper charge.
Any injuries that are sustained from not wearing a seatbelt could possibly not be completely covered by auto or other insurances.
And not buckling up a minour with the seatbelt or proper car seat or other such restraint is criminal. You can risk your life all you want, but children aren't capable of making those decisions.
It's just hell living in a nanny state, it's terrible to be protected. :cover:
But really, where do I sign to ban fast food? I will as long as places like Subway aren't stopped- one of the few healthy places I can eat as a pescetarian, their veggie burgers are the best.
If you're in an accident and harm or kill someone in a direct result of not wearing a seat belt, I think assault or manslaughter would be a proper charge.
Any injuries that are sustained from not wearing a seatbelt could possibly not be completely covered by auto or other insurances.
And not buckling up a minour with the seatbelt or proper car seat or other such restraint is criminal. You can risk your life all you want, but children aren't capable of making those decisions.
And let's not forget about banning the use of dangerous elements in children's toys and lightbulbs and paint and buildings, not allowing poisons in our food and regulating their production, making sure our medications are what they are labeled as and safe for us to take.
It's just hell living in a nanny state, it's terrible to be protected. :cover:
But really, where do I sign to ban fast food? I will as long as places like Subway aren't stopped- one of the few healthy places I can eat as a pescetarian, their veggie burgers are the best.
Exactly. My mother sustained a lot of facial injuries (she has no sense of smell now because of the damage to her nose) when she went through the windshield of a car. Her sister decided to drag-race while she was in the car and the car had no seatbelts... and through the windshield my mum went.
Jaymes
The cake is a lie
Recently our cities have started posting signs with the percentage of the people they pull over that are wearing their seatbelts. I don't know if this is a direct result of the laws, but the vast majority of the cities I've gone through are around or at 90%.
Personally, I refuse to ride in a vehicle without buckling up. One of my best friends would be dead if she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt when she wrecked. If these laws get people to buckle up, I'm for it.
Personally, I refuse to ride in a vehicle without buckling up. One of my best friends would be dead if she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt when she wrecked. If these laws get people to buckle up, I'm for it.
CaptainXeroid
Following Christ
I have always worn my seat belt, and as much as I an not a fan of big government, I fully support seat belt enforcement. I used to work for a car insurance carrier, so I have seen what's left of people who thought they were indestructible and didn't need to wear it.:cover:
In addition to protecting passengers in the event of an accident, the seat belt helps keep the driver firmly behind the wheel so he can maintain control of the car. I have personally witnessed 2 accidents which were a direct result of an unbelted driver losing control.
In one a boy around 20 was driving an older pickup with a flat bench seat, and when he took sharp left turn, he slid into the passenger door, his truck straightened out and hit traffic coming the other way.
In the other a young woman turned in front of traffic and was hit in the right front. Because she didn't have her seat belt on, she was thrown into the side window. was unable to reach the brake pedal, and her car rolled into another car caught in traffic.
Truthfully, anyone who refuses to wear a seat belt while operating a motor vehicle on a public road is lacking the common sense to be a safe driver and shouldn't be driving anyway.
In addition to protecting passengers in the event of an accident, the seat belt helps keep the driver firmly behind the wheel so he can maintain control of the car. I have personally witnessed 2 accidents which were a direct result of an unbelted driver losing control.
In one a boy around 20 was driving an older pickup with a flat bench seat, and when he took sharp left turn, he slid into the passenger door, his truck straightened out and hit traffic coming the other way.
In the other a young woman turned in front of traffic and was hit in the right front. Because she didn't have her seat belt on, she was thrown into the side window. was unable to reach the brake pedal, and her car rolled into another car caught in traffic.
Truthfully, anyone who refuses to wear a seat belt while operating a motor vehicle on a public road is lacking the common sense to be a safe driver and shouldn't be driving anyway.
Ãanisty
Well-Known Member
I see people riding in the back of pickup trucks all the time even though it's illegal. I've never seen anyone pulled over for it. I grew up in the country, so I guess people really didn't think it was that dangerous...not a lot of traffic, etc.MidnightBlue said:
One of my best friends is dead because she wasn't wearing her seatbelt.Jensa said:
Excellent points!CaptainXeroid said:
Scuba Pete
Le plongeur avec attitude...
I don't believe it's illegal to ride i the back of a truck IF you are older than 18. All those under 18 in Florida are required to wear a seat belt. Over 18 you are required to wear a seat belt if you are in the front seats. Florida Law Enforcement can cite you just for seat belt infractions. You don't need to break any additional laws.
It should be a legal requirement for all people in a motor vehicle.
This is for liability and legal issues more than for safety. If someone is in a vehicle accident without a seatbelt, they are more likely to be ejected from the vehicle, and are also more likely to receive disabling or fatal injuries.
If there is no no law requiring seatbelt wear, the insurance companies would be obligated to pay for the treatments, even though it is the person who was negligent.
If there is a law mandating seatbelts be worn, this protects the insurance companies and the operator of the other vehicles (if any) involved in the crash from being burdened with the expense of someone else's stupidity.
This is for liability and legal issues more than for safety. If someone is in a vehicle accident without a seatbelt, they are more likely to be ejected from the vehicle, and are also more likely to receive disabling or fatal injuries.
If there is no no law requiring seatbelt wear, the insurance companies would be obligated to pay for the treatments, even though it is the person who was negligent.
If there is a law mandating seatbelts be worn, this protects the insurance companies and the operator of the other vehicles (if any) involved in the crash from being burdened with the expense of someone else's stupidity.
CaptainXeroid
Following Christ
I think Georgia has the same law. Last week, a guy riding in the back of a pickup was thrown out of the bed and into traffic on Pleasant Hill Road and killed.NetDoc said:
It seems at least once a week we see in the paper or see a news snippet about an unbelted driver dying in a wreck and the police on the scene say he would have survived had he been wearing a seat belt. Buckle up and drive safe everyone.
Mathematician
Reason, and reason again
The seat belt law is a joke in my state. I wouldn't oppose it if there was some sense involved. In Texas, as far as I can tell, there are no seat belts in school buses, yet it's illegal to not have on a seat belt when you're an adult in your own car? Add on to that it's not illegal to wear a helmet on a motorcycle. Give me a break. To me it should be all or nothing. At the very least, school buses should be the ones requiring the kids to buckle up.
Add on to that it's not illegal to wear a helmet on a motorcycle. Give me a break. To me it should be all or nothing. At the very least, school buses should be the ones requiring the kids to buckle up.
Ãanisty
Well-Known Member
From what I have understood, the design of school buses supposedly would make it more dangerous if they had to wear seat belts. I can't say whether that's true or not, but that's the answer I got when I asked.GeneCosta said:The seat belt law is a joke in my state. I wouldn't oppose it if there was some sense involved. In Texas, as far as I can tell, there are no seat belts in school buses, yet it's illegal to not have on a seat belt when you're an adult in your own car?