Anyone know WHY we have seatbelt laws?
10-22-2009, 09:56 AM
#24
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its similar as to why the drinking age is 21. the federal gov't grants funds to states that meet certain requirements. it creates a defacto federal drinking age since no state will change their drinking age to 18 because they'll lose the funding.
as far as the 'what you do with your own body is your own choice, not the governments', i agree 100%. however, you will notice we have some contradictions in the TX laws...
-you have to wear a seatbelt inside a car, but not in the back of a pickup truck
-you have to wear a seatbelt inside a car, but no motorcycle helmet law
-you choosing to wear a seatbelt only directly affects your life (and by that i mean no one else is in physical jeopardy besides you) and it is mandatory to wear one. Smoking cigarettes in public businesses affects everyone around you, but there is no prohibition against it (at the state level).
yes, except in rare cases, it is indisputable that seat belts save lives. I think you are an idiot if you dont wear one. but i also believe that it should be YOUR choice, and not the governments mandate.
as far as the 'what you do with your own body is your own choice, not the governments', i agree 100%. however, you will notice we have some contradictions in the TX laws...
-you have to wear a seatbelt inside a car, but not in the back of a pickup truck
-you have to wear a seatbelt inside a car, but no motorcycle helmet law
-you choosing to wear a seatbelt only directly affects your life (and by that i mean no one else is in physical jeopardy besides you) and it is mandatory to wear one. Smoking cigarettes in public businesses affects everyone around you, but there is no prohibition against it (at the state level).
yes, except in rare cases, it is indisputable that seat belts save lives. I think you are an idiot if you dont wear one. but i also believe that it should be YOUR choice, and not the governments mandate.
10-22-2009, 10:04 AM
#25
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-you choosing to wear a seatbelt only directly affects your life (and by that i mean no one else is in physical jeopardy besides you) and it is mandatory to wear one. Smoking cigarettes in public businesses affects everyone around you, but there is no prohibition against it (at the state level).
If you are sitting in the back seat of a car and not wearing a seat belt, where are you going to go if you get into a head-on collision? Right into the back seat of the driver, breaking the drivers seat, slamming him/her into the steering wheel/dashboard possibly killing the driver.
10-22-2009, 10:14 AM
#26
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Naturally, its a income generator but seat belts do serve a purpose. I use to hate wearing a seat belt but as I have grown older, its just 2nd nature to put mine on. There is very little down side to wearing one versus not wearing one.
10-22-2009, 12:58 PM
#28
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As to the question why things like drinking under 21 or smoking pot, and why those are illegal... please dont say stupid stuff just to include your self in the discussion. To answer the question though, I would think: to help protect others from those who choose to engage in drinking or smoking (thus drinking and driving even after 21yo is illegal). That point has nothing to do with why any given individual driver is being legally obligated to wear a seatbelt.
10-22-2009, 07:20 PM
#33
Actually is quite an interesting story dating back to early muscle cars. In those days cars were not required to have them and the young kids had more access to powerful, heavy vehicles. Suddenly it started...more and more people flying through ER across the country with different kinds of trauma, from mild to severely crippled to dead. Medical costs started escalating, the government was paying too much and something needed to be done....enter the seat belt and a new law.. You really think they wanted you or your family safer? **** no...they wanted to spend less!
10-22-2009, 07:27 PM
#34
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I call
there are rare situations (like mine) where wearing your seatbelt can be fatal. however, most of the time it will prevent you from going for a nice flight through the windshield
10-22-2009, 07:34 PM
#35
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Well alot of those ideas makes sense, insurance companies, money making, etc. If nothing else the law probably is in the best interest of the people. But no matter how you cut it, drivers risk getting fined based on the choice to protect themselves. I think we're all agreed that wearing a seatbelt can (and usually will) save your life more often than if you are not wearing one. But forcing people into the decision to click it or ticket seems like BS to me. I like choosing what cereal to eat, what sports to play, what risks to take, etc. The law infringes on yours and mine ability to make free choices.
Somebody said something about backseat passengers flying forward and hitting the heads of those up front. The idea of people flying around inside of the car itself (not just through the windshield) seems to make the most sense if we dismiss everything else related to money (tickets=revenue, insurance companies lobbying, so on). Since most traffic laws are there to protect other drivers than yourself, the same logic would apply to inside of the vehicle and protecting those around you from your head smashing into theirs.
So should seatbelt laws only apply when there's more than 1 person in the car?
Originally Posted by crimson bird
but hey, theres a quote that i feel may suit you for this one... "i'm the one who has to go when it's time for me to die, so let me live my life the way i want to while i'm still alive." so, undo your seatbelt and say F#@K you to anyone against it.....
as you pay your ticket,
as you pay your ticket,
Its usually on, I was being lazy and got stopped making a U under the freeway. They're like f***'n vultures doing that! Oh well, thats a-whole-nother discussion.
10-22-2009, 07:38 PM
#36
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by some of your logic. you should have to wear a helmet, a fire suit, and a hans device as well. NHRA cages spec'd for 6.99 or faster should be mandatory as should fire suppressant systems.
all of these should be checked for in an inspection. after all, you could pretty much drive a funny car off a bridge and swim out of it if you were able to maintain consciousness and escape the monkey cage you were in. i mean, if its all in the name of safety.
dont get me confused, i think seatbelts should be mandatory. the way the law is enforced is completely totally annoying, unnecessary, and frustrating. its just funneling money through the courts. 25$ ticket 100$ court cost. on top of all the other valid points made.
if its for my saftey, and my taxes pay YOUR salary.. pull me over to remind me i am being unsafe and express concern. dont take money out of my pocket so that i cant pay my credit card bill this month.
all of these should be checked for in an inspection. after all, you could pretty much drive a funny car off a bridge and swim out of it if you were able to maintain consciousness and escape the monkey cage you were in. i mean, if its all in the name of safety.
dont get me confused, i think seatbelts should be mandatory. the way the law is enforced is completely totally annoying, unnecessary, and frustrating. its just funneling money through the courts. 25$ ticket 100$ court cost. on top of all the other valid points made.
if its for my saftey, and my taxes pay YOUR salary.. pull me over to remind me i am being unsafe and express concern. dont take money out of my pocket so that i cant pay my credit card bill this month.
10-22-2009, 07:41 PM
#37
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I'm sure that's why he made the point to include "very little" when comparing the downsides of wearing vs. not. That looks like it was a wicked crash though; glad to see you made it out alright. Having been through that, do you still not wear you're seatbelt, have you decided to wear it more often, what (if any) change did it make on your habits in the car?
10-22-2009, 08:36 PM
#38
Curious though, when you got hit, or hit whatever it was, what kept you from flying through the windshield?
