I understand that if your speeding or drinking or your high on some drug you have the chance of hitting another car and seriously hurting them. What I really dont understand is why a cop has the right to pull you over and give stupid ticket for not wearing a seat belt. Who are you hurting? If your driving down the road without a seat belt on....you arent hurting the other drivers on the road....your hurting yourself if anything. And seat belts dont always help you in a car crash! Why is it that it now is a law to wear your stupid seat belt? Did we forget once again about the free country...
2006-06-23 04:00:11 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
You all have made some seriously good points and some seriously not so good points. I understand the prices and such involved. So, the person who is in the passenger seat...why do they get a ticket? They arent behind the wheel driving....they are going to get in a car crash, injury themself and not be able to control the car. They are a passenger...but they still get a ticket for it. And I do know someone who did die from a car crash. I also know 6 people who were saved because they didnt wear their seat belt!!!!!! And no, im not making that number up. I do really enjoy the comment about school busses. Realyl goes nice with the person who said they hope my child wear a seat belt...Well i guess I wont be sending my kid on a school bus. Actually a bus is probably the most UNSAFE vehicle. Wow, freedom. haha. But seat belts are a law and forced to be worn, but only in certain vehicles. yet, they cops dont have to wear seat belts. Funny. Everyone have a nice day....
2006-06-23 04:45:44 · update #1
the real truth of the matter is the states do not care if you live or die in an crash. the reason for the law is to keep costs down. I know you are saying what????????
if you get in a crash and get hurt, and dont have health insurance the state will end up paying the costs, that is if you dont pay the bill your self. so by making it a law that you must wear seat belts they think they are keeping their costs down.
what is really scary is the fact that school buses dont have seat belts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2006-06-23 04:29:26 · answer #1 · answered by dgr0919 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I see your point...but.
I work as a volunteer in Fire/Rescue, specialising in road accident rescues.
I've been to accidents several times where a seat belt has undoubtably saved lives. And while I don't dispute that maybe once or twice there've been freak accidents where a lack of belt has saved...I've never seen one. However...I've also been to accidents and on arrival found a a person lying on the road...or by it. Sometimes...generally, in fact...totally covered by a blue sheet...they don't survive being thrown thrown a windscreen at high speed.
Oh...and then there's the ones that become a human pinball inside the car. It's not nice. Sometimes they survive and the pain they are in is indescribably...the sound is chilling - especially if they realise they can't move and in that case are often paralysised...
Part of it...isn't just for you. You say that you're the one getting hurt...physically, yeah, true. Emotionally? What about your family? How would they feel when they hear you've been killed in a car crash and you weren't wearing a seat belt? Or your friends? Spouse/boyfriend?
I'm sorry...but the fact is, they save lives...it's why they're there...and the reason they're law is to a) protect you. b) protect you from yourself and c) protect others from grief.
Trust me...when you see a body that's been thrown violently from a car...especially when it's a child...you find it highly disturbing - the injuries are horrendous...and you find it a very compelling argument for seatbelt use...
Hope this helps! :-)
2006-06-23 19:56:09 · answer #2 · answered by Bert from Oz 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually just about all of the data from the IIHS and NHTSA shows that wearing a seat belt improves your chance of surviving in an accident drastically. Sure, there is always that story of some guy who was thrown out of the car and survived but that rarely happens and it's just a fluke.
You live in a free country but there is no right to driving. Either follow the rules or get of the streets.
Do some serious research on the subject and you'll see that wearing a seat belt is not stupid. But your question is.......
2006-06-23 11:12:07 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You have answered your own question. "your hurting yourself" Unfortunately people still refuse to use a life saving device because they think they're stupid and our constitution begs us to protect the stupid people as well as the intelligent. If you are just driving down the street without a seat belt and not hurting anybody, that's O.K.. What happens when the drunk crosses left of center and hits YOU? What about the safety of any passengers in your vehicle? Will you sleep at night if one of your friends is killed in your car because he/she wasn't a wearing that stupid seat belt? Let me tell you this; I have been rear-ended twice with my entire family in the car. Everyone was wearing their seat belt and none of us got a single scratch.
I hope if you have children that they're strapped into a stupid car seat with a stupid seat belt. And as far as this country being free, we are free to elect the officials that passed the seat belt law. Wearing a seat belt does not take away any of your freedom but should keep you alive long enough to enjoy more freedom!
2006-06-23 11:14:55 · answer #4 · answered by wrench this 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The seat belt law is one based on simple statistics. In almost every case the seat belts reduce the possibility of injury in a crash. Insurance companies need the statistics as low as possible in order to allow them to offer you rates that are affordable. This has nothing to do with freedom, in fact you seem to understand the risk involved. If there was insurance for non-belt wearers, than it would be considerably more expensive than regular insurance and you would be free to take the additional risk. However there is not, and probably will never be since the profitability of such a venture is unlikely.
2006-06-23 11:08:34 · answer #5 · answered by yes_its_me 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A lot of countries have this law, some include making it mandatory for passengers in the rear as well as the front to wear seatbelts. This protects the passengers in the event of a collision, reducing deaths, serious injury and disfigurement. This in turn reduces a drain on the economy, keeps car insurance prices low.
You don't know if you are going to be in a collision, so the law helps a bit by trying to protect. Read...
http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/papers/position/1121.htm
As for free country, the illogical extension of this is, what right has a Goverment to insist we all drive on the same side of the road? Nothing is free, and to get a degree of some freedoms one has to give up others.
2006-06-23 11:19:39 · answer #6 · answered by Panda 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I offer another reason for wearing a seatbelt. Quit being selfish. Several times a year, I have to clean someone out of a car that didn't have one on. Is there a chance that it will kill you? Low, but yes. Is there a chance it will help keep you brain intact. Even better. At 30 MPH and hitting a tree is like catching an 80# bag of concrete thrown from the top of a 3 story building. Would you try this? Us firefighters are people too. we absolutely hate seeing people senslessly killed. It DOES affect us. While we are asked to go above and beyond quite often, the human factor is there and we are affected. Plus it gives the police something to do (just kidding). Hope this gives another viewpoint on this.
2006-06-23 18:27:13 · answer #7 · answered by good man 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The safety aspect is that if an accident occurs you are less likely to be ejected from the car or bounced off the dash or windshield. If the car looses control and spins out the seat belt helps hold you in place so you can continue to try to stop and regain control of the car.
The real reason the police stop you is for the money they get from the ticket; its a revenue raising activity.
2006-06-23 11:07:26 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Remember that driving is a priviledge and not a right... therefore the state can dictate how, when, where, etc. you drive. Also, since the manufacturers are required to produce cars with 3 point lap/shoulder belts, we are required to use them. They do save lives, and they save related medical costs (which ultimately are paid for by all of us).
They can give you a license, and they can take it away. Remember that...
2006-06-23 11:05:11 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Like the helmet law, seat belt laws keep people from become so disfigured and disabled that they would need the state to support them. Bottom line is money, benefits are less people are seriously injured, maimed or killed. Win, win no matter what the motivation.
2006-06-24 22:11:31 · answer #10 · answered by -Tequila17 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋