"Stepped up enforcement" of seat belt law

PitbullMidwest · May 27, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

 ticket people for no other reason than their failure to wear seat belts 

Gary, if the use of a seat belt is required by law and you are seen breaking that law why should an officer need any additional charges to stop someone? If your state had a motorcycle helmet law and a cyclist was seen not wearing his helmet are you suggesting that he should be allowed to continue on his way unless he is breaking other laws as well?

woodenhorse · May 27, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

(

Well, belting up is always the safe way to operate a tractor except when one has their folding ROPS in the down position. Then, according to my operator's manual one SHOULD NEVER belt up. I guess thinking is one has to have free movement of limb and body to jump clear in case that tractor flips.


...Bob )

---And what about those circumstances where one might be bushhogging by a pond - I've seen tractors fall in - would you wear a seat belt, even with the ROPS, would you have the wherewithall or time to unhook if the tractor went in? It's all a judgement call, imo.

It'd be interesting to see what the law officials would do if one came rolling up on a tractor at one of their stops....

gerard · May 27, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

At least with seat belts its my injury or death. The problem with that line of thought is in this day and YOUR injury or death doesn't only affect you. You go into ICU for three months and rack up $300,000 in medical bills, your insurance pays it and MY rates go up. If you're Bill Gates and agree to pay for all costs related to your actions then I'd exempt you from the seatbelt law cause then the consequences truly only affect you. Most people can't do that and want society to bail them out. I think we have way too many laws and aren't fond of many but since seatbelt use is such a no brainer I have no sympathy with those who don't wear them. 20 years of law enforcement I've only had to unbuckle two dead people. Had an awful lot more than that die from relatively minor crashes when they went ot a door or window....... (PS Some states you do have to observe another violation to stop - NY you don't and never did. From day one you could be stopped and ticketed for not wearing one)

Anonymous Poster · May 27, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

( Now I become a burden to all of you because of my personal choice. So the argument that not wearing your seat belt on your tractor doesn't affect anyone but you is, in my opinion, not a good argument. )

We can extend this line of thinking further. Let's ban all personal choices--make them illegal--that have high levels of risk. We can use the insurance companies to get the stats on what is risky and what isn't. They're bound to know.

Likely candidates:
<ul type="square"> [*]Hang gliding [*]Cave diving [*]Mountain climbing [*]NASCAR racing [*]Stunt flying [*]Free diving below 100 feet [*]Surfing in waves in excess of 8.063 feet mean height [*]Boating without wearing a personal flotation device at all times [*]Skinny dipping when the outside temperature drops below 50.2 F [*]Operating a tractor without a Federal Tractor Agency license. [/list]

I have a buddy in D.C. who is looking for a new job. I'm sure he would be willing to sign on to the newly minted FTA.

Maybe I can FTA license number 1. Naw, that'll go to some politician.

SnowRidge

DocHeb · May 27, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

In order to get my low rate life insurance I had to answer "Never Do" to at least the first half of that list /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

SteveBenson · May 27, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

>We can extend this line of thinking further. Let's ban all personal choices--make them illegal--that have high levels of risk. We can use the insurance companies to get the stats on what is risky and what isn't. They're bound to know.

This is already the case. Just try and get a life insurance policy if you are a small plane pilot, scuba diver, or some of the other things you mentioned.

The seatbelt belt laws are an obscenity. Just because something is the law does not make it right.

Here's my story: Last labor day I hopped in the truck to go down to Home Depot and on the way get stopped in front of 2 fire stations to "fill the boot". I donate a few bucks and around the next sharp bend, guess what, a seatbelt check. So I get pulled over and have to wait about 1/2 hour for my ticket. Then I see a guy on a motorcycle with a little kid on the back (neither with seatbelts or helmets) breeaze on thru, no problem.

Why is this so wrong? Let me see, I get into town and see drug addicts and prostitutes walking the streets, and nobody does anything about that. A guy one street over from me get arrested for growing 640 pot plants in his barn, and makes a deal for 2 years probation, no fine no time. I had to pay $37 (plus probably 50 times that in additional insurance) for my seat belt ticket. Justice /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif, what a joke.

cmsedore · May 27, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

I think the problem is that in many states (including NY, IIRC), when the law was passed, it was explicitly stated that a seat belt violation was not cause to be stopped. You could only be stopped and ticketed in conjunction with another violation (or caught at a registration/inspection/seatbelt check).

Personally, I wish they'd enforce (and/or be required by law to enforce) the seat belt laws and speeding laws to the letter every time. Maybe that would get a complacent population to vote for some changes! If you got a ticket every time you exceeded the limit by 1mph, I suspect change would come fast. The best way to describe what we have now is a cross between "selective enforcement" and "taxation".

I was pulled over one night on my way home from work in my previous (somewhat rough) Chevy pickup. Two county sheriffs went over it end to end for about 15 minutes and then told me I should be sure to have my muffler fixed so I didn't suffocate in the winter. Mind you, they never could have known my exhaust was short when I passed them (since I was just cruising @ 55 and not accelerating). If I'd been driving my (newer, and completely legal) car, I would have pressed them to cut the bull.

Whoever said earlier in the thread "if they want to pull you over, they will" had it right.

I have a deep respect for law officers, I just wish some parts of the system would be reformed to give them better incentives, and hold them more accountable in some areas.

-Chris

sendero · May 27, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

This thread is veering very close to a political discussion. Therefore, I'm going to stay out of it /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

MossRoad · May 28, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

 Likely candidates:

Hang gliding
Cave diving
Mountain climbing
NASCAR racing
Stunt flying
Free diving below 100 feet
Surfing in waves in excess of 8.063 feet mean height
Boating without wearing a personal flotation device at all times
Skinny dipping when the outside temperature drops below 50.2 F
Operating a tractor without a Federal Tractor Agency license.



I agree. There are many things that are inherently dangerous. I use to drag race motorcycles occasionally at the local drag strip. If I'd have gotten injured, it wouldn't have been covered by my health insurance. Same thing for motocross racing. Not covered. Sky diving... not covered. Trampoline injuries... not covered(check your home owner's policy if you have one).

But life is not fun if you sit there in a padded room hoping to not get injured. Sometimes the thrill of something makes you feel more alive than anything. Like driving a tractor with a brush hog destroying everything in its path. Then you see a big ol' chunk of something flying out from under it and sailing off into the woods and you think, OOooooo /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif if that would have hit me, I'd be dead. Big rush, then you try to chop up some more stuff. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

turnkey4099 · May 28, 2003

Re: \"Stepped up enforcement\" of seat belt law

( I'm not a big proponent of mandated seat belt laws...I think it should be a matter of personal choice, and here is why....I was involved in an accident where I (etc)

Having been involved in an accident myself and discussing with other people accidents, this is a (pardon the word) a crock. In an accident you do -not- have time to "jump to the other side...". It happens so fast that physics outruns reaction every time. If you had time to jump over, you also had time to avoid the accident to begin with. I have heard these anecdotes over and over, they are IMO all false. I have been in LE as dispatcher and other capacities for pushing 20 years. Of all the fatal accidents in almost every one it is someone not wearing a belt who is killed.
Yes there are cases where non-belted persons survive a probably fatality but there are also cases where people have gone out of high buildings and survived. Do you care to try that?

Harry K