I need opinions on seatbelt use for a school project?

Answer 1

O.k., here ya go. I have a feeling you're still pretty young, but that's not a put down or anything. I'm 46 yrs. old, so age will probably make a big difference on the answers you get. In 1967, my mother, grandmother, teenage sister and I were in an accident. My mother was driving, and the accident was the other driver's fault. The car we had was a 1961 Valiant. It was made before seatbelts were required, so it came without any. Therefore, we were not wearing any. We slammed into the back of a station wagon that was stopped right in the road, just over the top of a hill, in front of somebody's house where they were picking up a friend there. We had NO warning. My mother was slammed into the steering wheel and suffered severe whiplash. I was in the front seat in the middle and my little head was slammed into the radio, causing a huge gash on my head that bled all over my mother so bad they searched her body extensively looking for where she was cut, but it was all my blood. My grandmother, in the front to the right of me, went halfway through the windshield. Her head smashed right through the windshield, later the hospital stated there were 24 jagged pieces of glass stuck in her face and scalp. (I remember laying in the emergency room, hearing her screaming down the hallway as they were trying to remove them.) Her arm was also broken severely on the dashboard, shattering the bones in many pieces. My sister was in the back seat with the bags of groceries we had just bought. We slammed into that car SO hard, that her hand and arm up to her elbow went right through the back of the seat, and was tangled and caught in the springs of the seat, as that is how they were made then, probably not much padding. The mom of the house we crashed in front of came running out screaming and flipping out at the teenagers that we had just slammed into, that were just picking up her teenage daughter for them to go swimming, I think. She ran back in and grabbed a stack of clean cloth diapers, and pressed them firmly on my head to try to stop the bleeding. Somebody called an ambulance. I am haunted and have scenes from the crash replay in my head, almost every day of my life. The little bits and pieces that I do remember, are very horrifying. I can only say by the grace of God, we somehow survived the crash. I truly believe that if we were all wearing seat belts that day, our injuries would be about 80% less than what we endured. Of course, our family became very big on seat belts, and nobody went anywhere in a vehicle after that without seat belts. There were quite a few smaller accidents, and fender benders throughout the years in my family, all with the family members wearing seat belts. Nobody was ever hurt severely again, barely any injuries at all, ever. So, my opinion is, no matter how careful and safe of a driver you are, or you become, you have to remember some people only think of themselves, and they have no problem at all putting YOUR life at risk. You have a good chance at staying alive if you wear them, in case somebody wants to be an idiot and try to kill you, on accident or on purpose. I know there are some cases where people have been trapped by seat belts. But I still think we're a lot better off with them than without them, like we were that horrible day. The older you get, your opinion may change, when you see more and hear more about stories like mine. I hope and pray that you will always be safe. Thanks.

Answer 2

Due to their design, school buses are safer without seatbelts. A school bus is one of the toughest vehicles on the road, it's not likely to get damaged unless it's hit by a large truck. In the event of a crash some kids may get bumps, bruises, or possibly a few broken bones but it is very rare for a child to get seriously injured or killed in a school bus crash. Everything is padded, and children's physiology is better suited to take an impact without a lap belt then restrained with one, especially if some kids are restrained and some aren't. After a crash, it's also better to have kids free to escape rather then strapped to their seats and panicking with a buckle. Also, kids don't wear seatbelts on the bus and it's a waste of time to try and make them. The bus driver can't be busy policing the bus more then they already need to while they are trying to drive. Trying to keep 60 kids buckled up isn't going to be easy. On a school bus, a seatbelt can also be used as a weapon. It can either choke someone, or the buckle can be used like a flail or club. The number of injuries that seatbelts would save is far surpassed by the number of new injuries seatbelts would cause. There is also the cost of installing and maintaining seatbelts on every bus. Kids are destructive, and the school is less liable by not providing seatbelts then they would be if they did provide seatbelts and one failed.

Answer 3

Seatbelt laws are enforced to save lives. Although wearing seatbelt saves lives, I've heard of instances where it prevented or caused complications where it costed lives. Nothing is a guarantee, but the law is meant to help save the lives of everyone. Some people believe that they drive with extreme caution so they don't feel the need to wear seatbelts, but you never know when someone will hit you. Laws are made to save and protect citizens, if there were none and everyone can do what they please then there'd be no order. After having children I wear seatbelts for myself and my children at all times. If something were to happen, I wouldn't want to be because of my negligence.

Answer 4

The seatbelt use they force on us is just another way for the cops to make more money. If I don't want to wear a seatbelt, that should be up to me, not my government. My kids and I wear one anyway because we want to be safe, but I shouldn't be regulated to do so. Same with the helmet law. Who is the government to tell me what I can't and can do?

Answer 5

My cousin died in a car accident because he didn't have his seatbelt on, but my mom wasn't wearing her seatbelt when she was in a head-on collision but her life was spared because she wasn't. If she had she would have probably died from internal injuries. I have mixed feelings on seatbelts because they have the potential to save lives and destroy them. I don't think the police should force people to wear seat belts because that choice should be left to the individual. If people can choose to smoke, which is also potentially deadly, then adults should be able to use our seatbelts or not.

Answer 6

Most of the time seatbelts save lives. It is a fact. People should wear seatbelts. It should not be mandated.
If they do not then they pay the consequences if involved in an
accident.

Answer 7

i totally agree with the above comment i believe that the government can't tell us what to do because well America is so posed to be free right well with all theses laws that we have America really isn't free think about it for am minute. i wear my seatbelt most of the time but not all the time because its my life and they can't force me to wear it if i don't want to.

Answer 8

As a firefighter for 30 yrs in Los Angeles I have been to the scene of many traffic accidents. I have seen many people dead that would of survived the accident if wearing their seat belt. Being restrained keeps your head from going thru the windshield.

As for the government regulating what you do, all of you taxpayers pay for the morons that do not have auto and health insurance.

Seat belt and helmet laws are there to keep people safe when they are to stupid to take care of themselves.