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Seatbelt laws....

7K views 37 replies 24 participants last post by  dollybud 
#1 ·
Just wondering how many states in the US have seat belt laws? Here in Manitoba seat belts are mandatory and you get a hefty fine if you or any of your passengers are caught not wearing one. I believe they are also mandatory in Ontario and Saskatchewan, but I'm not sure about the rest of Canada. (Oh, and if you ride a motorcycle, we have a helmet law, too)!:rolleyes:

So, what's the deal? Are seat belts mandatory where YOU live?

Chickie.
 
#27 ·
Hey Malc, do you mean to say that the use of child seats is not required in Europe?
And Frisco, we have group in our city that has been lobbying for seat belts in our school buses but it seems to be falling on deaf ears. I agree it seems to be a logical conclusion in relation to the required seat belt use in passenger vehicles.
Every time the kids get in the car, the FIRST thing they do is put on their seat belts...then they hound us until we do the same.
I don't remember how old I was when seat belt use became mandatory, but I remember it. I remember the ad campaign on TV and all the signs on the side of the highways....At the time we all rebelled against it, but after awhile we realized the it was a good thing.

Chickie.
 
#29 ·
I don't like the idea of forcing people to do what the government deams as good.

I make sure that I am always wearing a seat belt, and anyone that rides in my car must do so too. That seat belt prevented any serious injury or death when I totaled my first car, but I still feel that the choice should be made individually.

I didn't wear any helmet while riding my bicycle in my younger days either and I'm still here, even after numerous wipe outs.

Besides, people smoke even though they are under 18, and drink when they are under 21. Do you really think that people are going to buckle up just because big brother says so?

I just think it's an easy way for the government to make money. The federal and most state governments are broke. Means you have to tax the citizens. Hmm....instead of a tax lets make an existing secondary law a primary offense so we can pull people over for and then crack down on it, especially since we already know alot of the population doesn't wear a seat belt.

Drives me batty! I can't stand the fact that the law enforcement has nothing better to do than pick on law abiding motorists instead of tracking down and arresting murderers, rapists, and thieves.
 
#30 ·
It is required to use baby seats here but there are always those who ignore it. Most children here are climbing all over the inside of the car.Favorite place is to stand between the front seats.
I tell those in the back of any car I´m driving to belt up, not
particularly for their safety,I don´t want them hitting me on their way forward during an accident.
 
#31 ·
Being a former member of my local fire depertment, I seen too many things. I quit for personal time constraint reasons.

I specialized in rescue, vehicle, bus, confined space, water, rope/high angle, search-and-rescue (this area is great for a hunter who wants to get lost), had two levels of firefighter training, and had limited experience in being an ambulance crewmember.

I have seen where seatbelts wouldn't have made ANY difference, the last one I worked on had her seatbelt on and the airbags deployed, it DID NOT MATTER as her Ford Explorer FOLDED in the middle. Square frontal impact with a tree at an estimated 45 mph.

I wear mine and make sure my immediate family follows suit, and if someone rides in my vehicle I make them too as Pennsylvania law states I can be stopped for just the seatbelt violation regardless of front seat occupant committing the violation, driver or passenger.

As far as seatbelts in busses, I'm all for it, my daughter gets picked up for head start in a 2003 GMC C-65 series schoolbus conversion which includes seatbelt provisions for all occupants with adjustability for different sized occupants, it also includes adjustable fold-away child safety seats (car seats) for what the law here requires of children of different ages and weights.

I took a bus rescue course for the department in 1995, the bus we worked with was almost 20 years old then, and it was difficult to gain alternate entry from the sides, roof, and floor. The newer models have external re-inforcement ribs, but are now equipped with alternate entry/exit points (look for the window frames that pop out, they have reflective paint or tape around them, and are located in the mid point of each side).

I am all for safety devices and stuff, but it should include ALL vehicles.
Motorcycles, and loud exhaust- they are legal, and don't have the emissions hound on them as hard.
My car has to be quieter than my lawnmower, and will soon have to make an emission testing machine happy.
The cyclist in PA. also has a choice of whether he wants to wear a helmet or not, I'm required to buckle-up but he's free to fly off his machine.
I have nothing against motorcycles, and have owned two in the past.
My kids have to wear a helmet in public areas on their bicycles, but not if they want to use a skateboard or rollerblades.
The neighbors' cats can run loose, walk all over my vehicles, and kill the rabbits my daughter loves to watch (and catch, but never does), but my dogs have to have shots, be restrained, and have licenses.

Laws arent meant to make any of us happy, they are meant to keep "darwins dimwits" alive and among us. "Heres' your sign"

The attached picture is of a PSP cruiser stuck in wet concrete in a construction zone, you would think the female officer would turn off the pursuit lights, she ain't goin' nowhere for a while.:thumbup:

The soapbox awaits the next member...
 

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#32 ·
Seat belts

sway said:
Next it will be helmets .rollcages,helmet straps. Then solet green.lol
It's a good thing I'm building my car with the extra safety equipment....

I went to a tech school with a guy that never wore a seat belt. Dan's probably done picking glass fragments out of his face by now. Missing his front teeth is an added bonus for his wife. She no longer needs to cook steak for him. Dang deer. He always said that if he was hurt in a car they could just hose his brains off the dash and sell the car to someone else. He was almost right.

I can see the argument for not doing it because the government is forcing it (like everything else) on us, but come on people, think about it, windshields are hard, steering wheels are hard, airbags don't work properly if you don't wear your seat belts. It's just not worth it to not wear them. Sure, they may cause more harm than good in some cases, but those cases are getting farther and farther apart. One of my cousins crashed his s-10 on the plus side of 115. The seat, him and the belts exited the truck out the back window as a whole unit. He's OK now, but swears he'll never wear a seat belt again. The last thing I told him was it's been nice knowing ya. Just click it. We don't need to lose anybody here to an over sized macho ego.

I don't know about anybody else, but I've got enough other things to do this summer without needing to go a funeral for someone who was to selfish to think of his/her family before driving off.
 
#33 ·
"Drives me batty! I can't stand the fact that the law enforcement has nothing better to do than pick on law abiding motorists instead of tracking down and arresting murderers, rapists, and thieves."

I always love hearing that. If they were law abiding, they would be wearing their seatbelts! The thieves also think that the law enforcement should be concentrating on murders and rapists.

I saw something a while back on tv about a helmet law in Florida. If I remember right, they don't have to wear them if they have a certain amount of medical insurance coverage. That way the state or other person in the accident does not get burdened with the higher medical cost because someone didn't take safety precautions. I am sure that someone here can clarify that. Any way, they said that there is no way to tell if the person that you see riding without the helmet has that coverage, so it isn't enforced, and most don't have it.

Keep in mind that the other person not wearing their seatbelt effects you too. Most states have an insurance requirement for under-insured coverage. That meand that if one person's policy coverage isn't enough, the other's kicks in. Many states also have a "contributory negligence" law also. That means that if they can show that you are even 1% at fault, the other person can collect from your insurance. Insurance companies only have to pay the maximum amount of the policy. Most policies have a limit of about $50,000 for medical. That doesn't take long. If it is your company paying, you could be held responsible for the rest. That beautiful girl that you see not wearing their seatbelt. When she hits the steering wheel, and gets a scar on her face, just took that $50,000 real quick, and maybe your house or hotrod. Of course, she was going to be a model.
 
#34 ·
The wearing your seatbelt law is nothing new in most places. Here in Florida, it has always been the law to wear your seatbelt. Its just that they are enforcing it now.

Anyway, I have to say I will always wear my seatbelt. When I was in high school, I got my first vehicle, a 1986 Suzuki Samurai. Had it for about 3 months when some guy in an F-150 ran a stop sign and smashed right into me. I flipped once and ended up on my side facing the opposite direction I was going. I think if I wasnt wearing my seatbelt, I would be dead.
 
#35 ·
Children learn by example. I would not dream of getting into the car without doing up my seatbelt because then my kids would think it's an okay thing for them not to buckle up. It's just not. It's one thing for an adult to say they want to have a choice about whether to buckle up or not, but think about the kid who loses a Mom or Dad or Uncle or Aunt (pick your relative) because of that choice. Then think about the Mom or Dad who loses a child because they learned from someone elses's example that it's okay not to buckle up. I don't let my kids ride in anyone else's car unless I KNOW FOR A FACT that the person driving will be ensuring that EVERYONE is buckled up.
But that's just me.

Chickie.
 
#36 ·
Whoa!! I never said it was ok to not wear a safety belt! (nor did I say it was bad) It's saved me before so I'll wear one.

I don't go around telling people that they shouldn't smoke even though I can inhale the secondhand, why should I treat seatbelts any differently?

I say just make everything optional and without any age limits. Seatbelt, airbags, helmets, drinking, smoking...do whatever you want, why should it be regulated?

Argh, there's so many other things that make me so mad about this country...but I'd get too far off topic:smash: :boxing: :spank:
 
#37 ·
The problem with letting everyone do what they want is that it creates disorder and disorganization. I agree that we are way too heavily regulated, and seat belts could be optional...for ADULTS...but all minors should be required to wear them and all children under the appropriate size should be in child restraints. If you are a parent and choose not to wear your seat belt, it is your business if you have an accident and make your child an orphan or worse...your surrogate parent because you are a vegetable and can only eat through a straw....I also agree that the anti-smoking thing is going WAY too far. As an ex-smoker, I still feel that those who choose to smoke have that right and nobody can tell them they can't, but there should be constraints on where they can smoke...i.e. no smoking on the bus, in hospitals or other public gathering places unless they are outdoor areas....

I could go on and on, but you get the idea....structure and rules are a necessary evil, but should be used in moderation and as a guideline.

Chickie.
 
#38 ·
I agree with Chickie and the others that its not only the law, but a good one at that. I've had 3 freinds killed in auto accidents that were thrown from vehicles. Its not a macho thing or about "big brother watching over us" its just common sense and mandatory. Anyone remember Ralph Nader, and his crusades for safety and other auto concerns? Buckle up!:) :thumbup:
 
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