Should seatbelts be mandatory?

Waterwizard said:
Someone I know said this: "When the government begins to establish what is good and imposes it by law, we cease to become a free people."

Excellent quote waterwizard, I agree wholeheartedly.

We need to be careful how much of our liberties we allow the government to take, else where does it stop?

I ALWAYS wear my seat belt and I expect those riding with me to do the same...BUT there is no need for the government to tell me to do this.

Should the government tell you to brush your teeth? change your underwear? avoid speeding trains?

Here in the U.K. it already IS mandetory.
Lot of resistance at first when it was introduced, but now the benefits of saving lives has shown through in the statistics, it is accepted.

Regards interfereing with your freedom and civil liberties, you carrying on like an idiot might be O.K. for you but what about when you come flying out through your windscreen and kill me.

Here's another thread if you like.
What about the nutters who drive along with one hand on the wheel, chatting away on a mobile phone on a highway.??
Should the use of mobile phones while driving (moving) be banned??

Yes, I believe seatbelts should be mandatory. I also believe cigarettes and alcohol should be illegal. I do not believe in less government and more personal responsibility because humans have proven themselves to be reckless and irresponsible.

Well I know a few people who respond to trauma's personally, and high rate of speed accidents. Over a certain speed, and sometimes even under (if youre the one whos hit) a seatbelt doesnt make any difference. A seatbelt is only good, according to these people who see the stuff firsthand, about 50% of the time. The other 50% it would either make no difference, or the person would have been better off without it.

No details. But imagine pushing an apple down really hard over some taught string.

That all said, I always wear my seatbelt. Im too accident prone not to

-Sean

Here's another thread if you like.
What about the nutters who drive along with one hand on the wheel, chatting away on a mobile phone on a highway.??
Should the use of mobile phones while driving (moving) be banned??

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Absolutely!

Should the use of mobile phones while driving be banned?

No, but that is just my opinion

More accidents are caused by people tuning the radio/CD or changing the temperature on the air than cell phones, if we accept that line of thinking then we need to outlaw radios and air conditioning/heater too.

And what about the number of accidents that are caused because the parent is paying attention to the child in the backseat rather than the road, or chatting with a friend. Where does it stop?

God Bless!

I agree with mandatory seatbelt wearing. There are a lot of stupid people around, but no matter how thick they are I don't want to see them die for it. And particularly with children - there are some people who allow their kids to sit without a seatbelt, and thus endanger their lives.

Incidentally, according to that advert which was shown recently in the UK, a person not wearing a seatbelt in the back of a car can, in an accident, be thrown forward with such force as to kill the person in the seat in front of them, while remaining relatively uninjured themselves.

On another note....has anyone else noticed that seatbelts have really obviously been designed by men? All the women I know have bother with them, as unless you're completely flat-chested, you wind up with the cross-piece around your neck, and its irritating!

Seat belts SHOULD be mandatory. In Maryland where I live, if you don't wear a seatbelt, you get a fine for not doing it.

If someone is a passenger in your car and you get into a car accident, and THEY die, you as the driver are held responsible. Usually being the driver, I'm not gonna allow that to happen.

As far as mobile phones go, it's really not necessary. If you absolutely must, get an adapter and a hands-free headset.

Instead of learning from our own mistakes (provided we live to tell about it), let's just learn from the circumstances of others and wear our seatbelts, okay, people? Is it that much of a burden?

It's really a judgment call, folks. Yes, you can complain that your freedoms are being taken away and speculate how many more of your "freedoms" are going to be challenged. If you ask me, it's just a way to excuse yourself. You think that it's only your life is the only one you affect. Until you take another's because of the decisions YOU made. Then you might think differently. You're not the only one who drives on the roads; everyone else shares it. It is a privilege, do not take advantage of it.

By the way, my driving is not impeccable. I do speed sometimes.

Everything we do has an effect on those around us, be it for good or bad. Not wearing a seatbelt is fine from a civil liberties point of view - until there's an accident when not wearing a seat belt will have an affect on others, specifically, hospitals and medical staff and anyone you happen to collide with.....

Whilst it's fine to say it's a matter of personal responsibility, most will not be responsible and regrettably that's why it needs to be mandatory.

Regarding mobile phones, in the UK there is a general offence of not being in control of your car which is a bit of a catch-all (so this would include drinking, smoking, anything). It has been used to prosecute a young lady whilst taking a drink from a bottle of water whilst staionery at traffic lights. Now there is a proposal to implement an offence of using a mobile phone whilst driving I'm in full agreement with it. Not only should it apply to a hand-held phone, but also to a hands-free phone and at any time whilst the engine is running. You can always tell when someone is using a mobile phone on the motorway, they become unawre of others around them - hogging a lane travelling at a slower speed than traffic, generally being a nusiance and a danger to others.

The issue is two-fold. There is the aspect of not being in physical control of a car whilst trying to handle a phone, but then there is also the issue of havig your concentration taken away from the road. It's the same as if you have someone having a conversation with you, it, also, is a major distraction (conversation, not the odd comment), but you can't really legislate for the latter. Listening to a radio or CD player is not an issue because it doesn't demand that you concentrate on it. So, I agree with having a law preventing the use of mobile phones whilst the car ending is running. Switch them off when you get in the car.

Originally posted by Gerry
Yes, I believe seatbelts should be mandatory. I also believe cigarettes and alcohol should be illegal. I do not believe in less government and more personal responsibility because humans have proven themselves to be reckless and irresponsible.

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So you're saying that the government should take care of us completely, and make all decisions for us, from cradle to grave, because we don't have sense enough to know what's good and what isn't?

That would absolve us from any personal responsibility and free us from having to think for ourselves.  I think not.

Also, you seem to forget a time in history called "Prohibition", in which alcohol was illegal.  During that time, the nation's crime rate rose over 300%.  No, nothing good comes from government intervention in peoples' behavior.

Although I resisted for a while about wearing my seat belt I now do after a friends child was killed in a car accident, he was not wearing a belt. I agree with the comment about them being invented by men as they really are uncomfortable.

Why are people jumping to the conclusion that because a person does not believe wearing seatbelts should be mandatory that automatically means that person doesn't wear a seatbelt?

I always wear my seatbelt and so does anyone who gets in my car.

Someone who does not wear their seatbelt is not going to wear it whether it's mandatory or not.

Those of us who are responsible people will wear ours and those who are not responsible or don't believe in wearing them are not going to regardless.

There is a law against speeding but it is still the number one cause of accidents.

This is something I feel very strongly about, both from a personal and a professional standpoint.

I work in Law Enforcement.  I know all to well what happens when people don't wear seatbelts.  Ask me someday about the joys of thumbing through 65 page fatality investigations and then trying to get all of that paperwork to right entities.  Not as much fun as it may sound.  I can't speak for all states, but in Utah and Arizona, a seatbelt violation is NOT enough probable cause for a traffic stop.  An officer can't pull you over for not wearing a seatbelt, but you will get a ticket for not wearing it if he stops you for another reason (in UT and AZ).  The law is not in place to "take away rights", it is there to protect the right of innocent people to life.  It is there to protect you, either from yourself or the other guy.  I can guarantee that if you get a ticket for not wearing your seatbelt, it's not so the officer can meet his "quota" or so the city can take your $150 and laugh on the way to the bank.  You'll get it because the officer hopes to make a point to you, so that he doesn't ever have to scrape you or your family off the side of the road. 

My seatbelt saved my life in June.  My wife's saved hers.  My youngest daughter was in a carseat and it saved her life.  Unfortunately, my oldest daughter (who was also in a carseat) was in the center point of force and nothing short of God putting His hand over her would have saved her.  But, I have the rest of my family still here with me because of seatbelts.  If the government wants to tell me I have the right to walk out of a vehicle that rolled several times on the asphalt at 70 mph, then I will listen.

Stop being petty and wear your seatbelt.  Your loved ones (and the officer and EMS personnel who don't have to bag you) may thank you some day.

Well, ten years ago when I was driving to a class in Fresno, I skidded on black ice and dumped my van down a 30-foot embankment. The van was totaled.

I was wearing my seatbelt, and I walked away from the wreck.

So, I'm going to vote "yes." There is NO way you can protect yourself if you are going faster than 5-10 MPH. In that very same place, on that very same weekend, three people were killed in two other accidents.

My kids were ALWAYS strapped in a car seat when they were little. They always wear seatbelts to this day.

I also believe that motorcyclists and bicyclists should wear helmets.

If the "personal freedom" folks don't like the restrictions placed upon them by government, I won't shed any tears of sympathy.

See, the problem is, if there's a wreck, the no-seat-belt person, the no-helmet-person probably won't die. However, there's a great chance the person will be severely injured. Who will pay for that?

I'm gonna bet that tax dollars will eventually be used to pay for the medical care, support the family, all that good stuff.

So, if my tax dollars are paying for extensive rehabilitation, or long-term nursing care, or welfare to the family because of the injury or death of the primary breadwinner, I'd say the government can dictate safety laws.


But that's my opinion.



Peace,
~VOW

I think we are confusing the mandated wearing of seatbelts with the desire to wear them. People who do not desire to wear them will not do so regardless of what kind of law is in effect. The government should not take on the role of caretaker. The people should have the choice, and should suffer the consequences of making the wrong choice.

We are going down the wrong path (seatbelt laws, helmet laws, mandatory insurance, etc.) and who knows what will be next. When will the government require us to purchase health insurance? Or dental insurance? Or anything else that is "for our own good"?

They already require us to purchace auto insurance.

Of course, we are not guaranteed a car in the Constitution so I can't argue with that too much.

Originally posted by Dewjunkie
This is something I feel very strongly about, both from a personal and a professional standpoint.

I work in Law Enforcement.  I know all to well what happens when people don't wear seatbelts.  Ask me someday about the joys of thumbing through 65 page fatality investigations and then trying to get all of that paperwork to right entities.  Not as much fun as it may sound.  I can't speak for all states, but in Utah and Arizona, a seatbelt violation is NOT enough probable cause for a traffic stop.  An officer can't pull you over for not wearing a seatbelt, but you will get a ticket for not wearing it if he stops you for another reason (in UT and AZ).  The law is not in place to "take away rights", it is there to protect the right of innocent people to life.  It is there to protect you, either from yourself or the other guy.  I can guarantee that if you get a ticket for not wearing your seatbelt, it's not so the officer can meet his "quota" or so the city can take your $150 and laugh on the way to the bank.  You'll get it because the officer hopes to make a point to you, so that he doesn't ever have to scrape you or your family off the side of the road. 

My seatbelt saved my life in June.  My wife's saved hers.  My youngest daughter was in a carseat and it saved her life.  Unfortunately, my oldest daughter (who was also in a carseat) was in the center point of force and nothing short of God putting His hand over her would have saved her.  But, I have the rest of my family still here with me because of seatbelts.  If the government wants to tell me I have the right to walk out of a vehicle that rolled several times on the asphalt at 70 mph, then I will listen.

Stop being petty and wear your seatbelt.  Your loved ones (and the officer and EMS personnel who don't have to bag you) may thank you some day.

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AMEN!! I could not have said it better.

To Dewjunkie:

Thank you for sharing your very personal grief with us. It isn't much, but you can at least know that you TRIED to protect both of your children. I don't know how someone could live after the fact if his or her children died in an accident and they might have been saved had they been wearing seatbelts.

Life is so precious.

May God grant you and your family comfort, and you know that you will be reunited again in Heaven.


Peace be with you,
~VOW