Are seatbelt laws fair?

Dick Faber

here where i am, helmets are law, and seatbelts in buses are law too. it becomes a habit to do the right thing.

is it that the average american is totally unconcerned with their own and others safety?

Allen B

I take it you're not in the UK as all the things you mentioned are the law in the UK.
Since hospitals are funded by taxes, if you don't wear a seat belt, pay your own hospital bills, seems fair!

guymandude

yes I think it is perfectly fair. This is because for sure with buses and maybe also with motorcycles, it causes way more harm in an accident if the people riding have their set belt on. I think having such law shows that there is some form of care in our government.

R.I.P. Cliff Burton

of course their fair
THEY SAVE LIVES
whenever i drive i wear one
whenever im in a car i wear one
the laws are there to protect us

Meggan's Mum

I totally agree with you. All coaches in the UK have seat belts but not buses. The reasoning behind buses not having to have seat belts is that some people only make short journeys, which is ludicrous as some people only make short journeys in cars but they have to wear seat belts (this information I got from a coach driver). I would also make all cyclists (pedal as well as motor) wear helmets and (pedal) cycles should have to have lights fitted as standard and that would stop the dozens of kids riding around at night without lights and usually on the wrong side of the road or on paths!!!!!

Bettee62

THEY NEED SEATBELTS ON BUSES

Philip P

Er I'll wear a seat belt on my motorbike when you are forced to wear a helmet in your car...
Oh and all coaches and school buses are fitted with seatbelts and the driver is compulsed to make people wear them
And do you really want to force me to be tied to 200 kg lump of metal that due to deisel being spilt or the car pulling out in front of me has been forced to be over ballanced and slide down the road???
Safety on a bike....! Our engines have been restricted the test we take is harder than that for a car and is going to get even harder and should we be under 21 we are limited to riding a bike that is limited in engine size power and performance....So when was your car restricted to only 70 MPH?
And now in 30mph limits they are further going to force motorcyclists to only do 20 MPH and fit electronic tags to the number plates so that they can know where we are...
And all you have to moan about is seat belts!!!!
fancy being 17 and passing your test and being told you can only drive a fiat cinquecento for the next two years????

Jem

I know what you mean. I got a ticket just pulling out of the driveway of my house! I was actually reaching for the seat belt and STILL got the ticket. Messed up.

But, if you think about it, it's a reasonable law that does make sense. There are a lot of bad drivers out there. People still choose not to where them. But the idea that they are worn is a good one....

onlyme

just goes to show you how *** backwards the law is.

It makes sense to wear a seatbelt. It's the law and it can help save your life. Of course if your car is on fire, it could melt and then you would be trapped inside. But more people die from no seat belt at all than the other.

jo32

NO.
but laws aren't fair they're "just"...
just so somebody connected to gov't can get their $$$.
Why not let the market decide? it was a freer country once.

Every person who has had an accident is asked if they wore their seatbelt. If you say you didn't you could still get a ticket... so YES, you say, I wore a seatbelt!

That is the obvious answer!

Te dead ones don't say anything and might be found not wearing seatbelts... Therefore...
the survey would find that more people die because they did not wear seatbelts.

Can we ever trust such a survey?

During war times, when soldiers fought for freedom... bombs would fly... one man would be hit while another next to him would not be hit... how does one explain this?

When its your time - its your time.
Fear of death does not protect one from death.
It seems seatbelts should protect you sometimes.
It seems plain luck also does too!

Al A

The seat belt law was enacted to save lives and reduce injury. This has many economic implications like it saves on law suits (or lowers the judgement amount), cost of medical treatment, and saves on redesigns of dangerous roadways(since there are less deaths). So it's prudent for our society to have this law.

I know the helmet law isn't being enforce and some have been repealed, but I think motorcyclists have big lobbying firms, and plus not everybody rides a motorcycle (it's looked as more of a hobby), unlike cars where it's seen as a neccesity and everybody can drive a car, while not everyone has the skill to ride.

Showtunes

I always wear mine. My kids wear theirs. I wont let anyone ride in my car without one.

That is my choice because it is my life, then its my car--I dont want their blood on the seats if it can be helped.

The gov't should never factor into this.
Basically, instead of punishing people for their stupidity, the gov't should just give them help in proportion to their prevention, then charge at a high rate for everything else. If you drive around with no seatbelt, or on bald tires, or without a bumper, you should not receive the same level of free accident care as the person who had their seatbelt on their perfectly safe and legal car.

willowGSD

You must be in America because in the UK there is a Helmet law! Coaches have seatbelts and a bus belonging to a school but the buses in town don't YET!
Personally as a care-worker who has seen what can happen to someone not wearing a seat belt and an ex bike rider saved by their crash helmet I'd say the 'too stupid to save their own skins' should think themselves lucky if it's only a ticket they get!

Oldschoolgoblue

I could be wrong, but I don't think seatbelts is a national law. I mean its officially enacted by the states. Most states also have helmet laws, but not all. Mostly its because if someone without ( health) insurance gets crushed in an accident, and is in a coma, the state has to pay for, and the tax payers. Do you want to pay for the care of some one too stupid to wear a seat belt? I dont.

You Know who

YES, they are very fair. If not for the safety of the driver but for the safety of passengers. A person who is not properly restrained in the car becomes a projectile in a crash. This can kill or seriously injure any passengers.

As for seat belts on school buses, they are required on some specialty buses. Other buses use the theory of "compartmentalization" which contains the children in the seat compartment created by the high seat backs.

Andre

Yes, it's not the government's job to babysit us. Can you imagine the cost and time that goes into enforcing just one law?

whotoblame

If that's the law, that's the law. You have to abide by it while you try to overturn it. Buses have padded seatbacks meant to catch the passenger in the seat behind during an accident. Also, the problem with seatbelts in buses, especially school buses, is getting all of those belts unbuckled in the event of an emergency evacuation of the bus. Motorcyclists have strong feelings against helmet laws, so they organize to fight any planned laws in their area. You don't get that with car drivers who are usually divided over the issue, with the majority in favor of seatbelts.

browneyedbeauty

no i dont think its fair. people can choose to be unsafe if they want too. police officers cant tell people how to live their lives. i like you intellectual thinking. good job! i agree with you.

Danielle P

The seat Belt law is very good and fair because they just say that because thay dont want anyone to get hurt and you should have gottena ticket because i have heard that this lady and her kids got in a car accident and were fine because they wore their seatbelts unlike you!!!!!!!!!!

ryankneale

I feel it should be the drivers choice. I'm sure the states make a good chunk of change from the tickets and the insurance company doesn't have to pay out as many death benefits.

Jessiiâ™¥Kaulitz

that's a really good arguement. i think that it is best to do so, but they shouldn't make it the law. freedom of choice right?

TheDude

I don't think that a police officer should have the right to pull you over and ticket you for not wearing your seatbelt. They rarely wear them themselves. It is dumb not to wear your seatbelt, everyone knows this, but it should be your own choice if you choose to take that risk. I believe there are a lot of new laws that are also unfair to the public. Cell phone laws in CA are rediculous. Officers drive around all day talking on their radios, which are not hands free devices. People are getting pulled over and ticketed just because an officer thinks he/she may be texting, when in reality they could be answering their phone or checking the time. Its not fair because all it comes down to if you do try to fight the ticket is your word against the officers, and who is the judge going to believe? Everything is about the money... and I wonder with all the new laws and so many people gettting ticketed, where does all that money go? CA has a huge deficite and with every officer ticketing approx 6 people per day per officer at at least $120 a ticket, that adds up pretty fast. And now they want to raise the cost of the ticket! How about the cameras they're putting up at intersections, do you think getting a ticket in the mail is really going to discourage a person from running a red light? I dont believe many people run red lights on purpose, and now even if there is not an officer there to pull you over to see if there was a reason why you may have run that light, you get a ticket. There is nothing good about that for the public, except maybe getting accidents on tape to see who was really at fault. Other than that they are all money making schemes to me. Every one of them, from the cost of getting a DUI, and the toll it takes on ones life, to a seatbelt ticket which should be a choice, and a hands free cell phone law which officers disobey on a day to day basis. Whats next? My guess is that they outlaw the radio and cd players, those are not hands free devices and i'm sure there are many accidents that happen because someone was messing with the radio. When are we going to stop giving up our freedom. Shit happens no matter what. Don't give up your freedom in hopes that bad shit wont happen, educate society, dont enable the law to take any more money. The only thing that really would help keep bad things from happening is everyone to decide to be more responsible and treat others with respect, make the right decisions. Today more people are afraid of the law hurting them than helping them. Most people look at the police as someone out there to get them, and in my opinion they're right. Police officers are not treating people with respect, they are more like bullies than anything else. This is not the way it should be. Thank you for reading, please comment if you like. I would love to be enlightened.

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