Seatbelts

[elwood_p]

I Don’t like to wear seatbelts. They make me feel uncomfortable and I don’t think that they are as safe as every body lets on. Now Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying seatbelts haven’t saved lives and I’m not saying that you shouldn’t wear a seatbelt. It is the law and we all are good law abiding citizens right? But do you think that it should

Comments

[ariaben]

1) From a legal point of view, car manufacturers were under increasing pressure to make cars safer. This would have imposed a huge financial burden on the car makers, as well as car buyers, and so they lobbied with legislators to have the seat belt rule imposed as a way of reducing fatalities without adding to the cost.

2) You brought up the point that just because something is a law doesn't necessarily mean that it will be enforceable. Many times officers don't enforce the seat belt rule, but they might if you were particularly rude to them or belligerently drunk. Hell, there are still laws in 14 states that say fornication is illegal if you're not married, but I don't see many people being arrested for that.

3) A year and a half ago I was involved in a very serious head-on collision. I would have died if I was not wearing a seat-belt, driving an SUV and if I had not swerved. Luckily, I did all of the above. However, the driver of the vehicle died and her passenger, who was not wearing a seatbelt, went through the windshield. The passenger did not die, so she could not be put on your list of fatalities, but at the time I was discharged from the hospital (in a wheelchair) she was still in the ICU with a broken spine and brain damage. Had she been wearing a seat belt, it is likely that she would only have suffered minor injuries.