"Stepped up enforcement" of seat belt law

Anonymous Poster · May 27, 2003

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

Click It or Ticket here in Florida, this weekend, also. Must be something from the Federal level. TV ads warning that tickets will be issued if any person in the car is not wearing a belt; driver gets the ticket(s). We, too, were told that the only time a ticket would be issued would be if we were pulled over for something else and were found not wearing a belt. That's past hoistory, now, and apparently the sheep are willing to be shorn.

With all the warnings ringing in my ears, I got curious about what has happened since Florida repealed its motorcycle helmet law. I've noticed that about 95% of bikers are helmetless. Here's a link to a statement that deaths per mile ridden are actually down, with a big boost to the economy... helmet stats.

Next debate: "Speed Kills". It doesn't. A sudden stop might.

turnkey4099 · May 27, 2003

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

To clear the air somewhat. The clicket/ticket campaign is not a local police, county or even a state campaign. It is promoted and run by the NTSB who give states wads of money to pay overtime. One string attached to themoney is that the cop has to write 3 tickets per hour. I saw one on mainstreet do 3 in about 15 minutes.

Am I for seat belts? YES, and hve been since 1959 (new Vovo). As for the whiners about getting the tickets. Nope, no sypathy here. I look at it as them making a voluntary contribution. After all if you are afraid of getting stopped, wear the thing. It is good for you anyhow.

Harry K

TCowner · May 27, 2003

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

I agree that seat belt use is a good thing but I still struggle with the idea of making it mandatory. I just wish the highway patrol, police, sherrif, etc. would put as much effort into getting the morons off the streets. At least with seat belts its my injury or death. The moron who doesn't use his turn signal or abruptly changes lanes for new apparent reason is more of danger to society than I am for not using my seat belt. I realize there is a cost (medical) for not using the seat belt. The moron who drives 20 mph over the speed limit trying to get to work on time just so he can sleep in an extra two minutes is more of a danger in my opinion.

woodenhorse · May 27, 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 was driving a vw baja bug and a delta 88 sped through a stop light and ran head on into my driver's door, I saw it coming and jumped to the other side of the car. It crushed my seat and the impact threw me through my driver's door from the passenger seat and over the delta 88 and down the highway on my face.... firmly believe I would have been far more seriously injured or killed since my seat was crushed and I wouldn't have had time to undo the belt......in another incident, my parents were traveling up a country back road and an oncoming pick up topped a hill in the middle of the road, causing my parents to swerve into a ditch, the car flipped end over end and landed topside down, my father had the sense to turn off the ignition when it started flipping. The top of the car was crushed down into the top of the seats. My parents weren't wearing seat belts and my father was thrown to the front floorboard and my mother was thrown to the rear floorboard. They were trapped, had some cuts and my mother had a broken collar bone, but both were ultimately fine....I'm not sure if they would have been so with seatbelts since the top of the car was crushed down into the seats.....lastly, my sister was killed when her car hydroplaned off the highway, striking a huge pine tree in her driver's door. She was the only family member who wore a seat belt. I'm not sure if she would have had time to avoid it even if she wasn't wearing one, but the seatbelt didn't save her life.....As you can see, I don't like the seatbelt law, don't think it should be mandatory.

Bob M.

WVBill · May 27, 2003

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

I don't want to debate the pro's or con's of wearing seatbelts either. Nor whether there should be a law requiring their use, BUT, I can't grasp the concept behind having a law that says they're mandatory - but then you can only be stopped for violating the law on "click-it-or-ticket" weekends. Where's the logic in having a law but then saying it can only be enforced if you're doing something else wrong too? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

When I grew up in California, it was illegal to have an open alcoholic beverage container in the FRONT seat - or ANY container in the BACK seat. Alcoholic beverages could only be transported in the TRUNK. Then I went to Florida in the early '70's and found that you could legally buy an alcoholic drink in a drive-thru - and consume it!! You were only illegal if your blood-alcohol level exceeded the limit. Culture shock.

rancar · May 27, 2003

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

"...We were all told that citations would only be issued in conjunction with other violations...Anyone else have any thoughts on either of these?..."

In my community, we have State, county, and local law enforcement setting up check points at various road intersections from time to time to check on numerous violations of DMV law. These include not wearing seat belts, expired auto registration, expired auto inspection, and impairment to a motor vehicle that may be hazardous to one's or another's safety. These vehicle impairments could include cracked windshield, no or poor tire tread, and cracked or missing headlamps and tail lights.

Law enforcement is within their rights to conduct these safety and inspection stops in accordance with applicable local and state laws. If violaters are in violation, they are ticketed....plain and simple.

Driving has always been a privilage....never a right. All who desire to drive should obey all applicable motor vehicle laws.

Besides, in these tough fiscal times, law enforcement have added incentives to conduct these types of stops.

...Bob

woodenhorse · May 27, 2003

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

<snip>Besides, in these tough fiscal times, law enforcement have added incentives to conduct these types of stops.

---We have those same type stops here in my state....I simply pop on the seatbelt, go through the checkpoint, then remove it. Fiscal incentives, (and the unproclaimed quotas) might be better directed. What's more important, a fiscal benefit of ticketing a person for a seatbelt violation, or time and direction better spent on the more intrusive crimes????

MossRoad · May 27, 2003

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

So let's turn this to tractors....

(None of these comments are directed at any person, all hypothetical, discussion material only, so please take it that way, thanks in advance /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif).

How soon do you think the insurance companies will require you to be wearing your seatbelt and have a ROPS up or they won't cover you if you get injured in a roll over?

Or, is wearing a seat belt(if your tractor is so equipped) while driving on a public street covered under the seat belt laws of any states?

Personally, I always wear my seat belts. Personally, I think all of you should have the common sense to wear yours, too. To me, its one of those personal choice things, but there comes a point when a bad personal choice affects all of us. But do we need a law to enforce it or should it be personal choice? That depends. Lets say I make the unfortunate personal choice of not wearing my seat belt and get seriously injured on my tractor. I am bed ridden for life and can do nothing for myself. My insurance runs out and my family cannot afford care for me. Who takes care of me then? The state... with tax money. Possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars in tax money all because I chose not to wear my seat belt on my tractor. 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. Now, I'm not an in-compassionate person, and I'm not suggesting that people that make bad decisions should be denied care. And I've certainly made mistakes in my life that could have been life threatening. But this is how these kind of "saving us from ourselves" laws come about. A majority(sometimes it doesn't even take a majority) of people come to the conclusion that people don't use the brains they were born with and pass a law with the hope of saving some lives and saving some money.

Am I for mandatory seat belt laws, motorcycle helmet laws, open container laws, etc... no. But will people use common sense and buckle up, wear a helmet or not drink and drive? No. Tough call. I'd err on the side of caution.

Just my opinion.

What do you folks think as this pertains to tractoring?

rancar · May 27, 2003

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

We have those same type stops here in my state....I simply pop on the seatbelt, go through the checkpoint, then remove it. 

That's great, if one has the time. Sometimes these traps spring up around a bend in the road and an officer is right there standing on the road's centerline staring at the driver. It's hard to belt up when the officer is looking right at the driver.

 What's more important, a fiscal benefit of ticketing a person for a seatbelt violation, or time and direction better spent on the more intrusive crimes???? 

In the short term and from the perspective of law enforcement, it's likely the former. These types of traps could be real money makers, like they are in my village. Local police set up traps with 2 or 3 patrol vehicles stopping all traffic coming and going from the village. It takes only an hour or so and they nab at least a half dozen violaters for one offense or another. A few of these a week could generate a couple thousand in revenue for local law enforcement and to them this ain't chump change.

...Bob

rancar · May 27, 2003

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

 What do you folks think as this pertains to tractoring? 

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. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

...Bob