10-8-2012 at 8:21 AM

The only reason that there IS a law is because once they enforced the "Seat belt" law in the 1960's, the percentage of road related deaths decreased dramatically.<br /> <br /> You can equate this law to OSHA regulations, helmet rules for motorcycles, and safety training for heavy machinery.<br /> <br /> They are all for the safety for everyone around them as well as the safety of the person it is directly affecting. Statistics prove that while yes, in SOME occasions, wearing a seat belt has caused more harm than good..however it has significantly decreased death rates in motor accidents. It is the exact same as wearing a helmet on a motorcycle. <br /> <br /> Let me write you a few examples of this;<br /> A few years ago my step-father was ran into in the right hand turning lane. An SUV ran a red light, hit a small car turning left...they were tossed to the side and we were then hit by the SUV. The two passengers in the small car (a father and his son) were wearing there seat belts and suffered minor injuries. Their car was completely totaled. The 3 passengers in my car were wearing their seat belts, I came out with a minor concussion and my parents were unscathed.(That's what I got for putting my head on the window as a habit.) NOW...in the SUV, the driver was wearing a seat belt. The mother in the passenger side and two of the three children in the back were not. The mother cracked her skull open on the windshield and died in the hospital. Her two un-belted children were severely injured while the third that had the seat belt on suffered scratching and bruising. Guess what? The driver remained slightly scratched up, however walked away from the accident. <br /> <br /> <br /> Another example of where a seat belt saved a life. My co-worker's daughter is no longer in the living world, however her best friend is. They were young (16 at the time.) and decided to take the car out to go see a friend. (They were not supposed to..) My co-worker's daughter was driving and her best friend was in the passenger seat. They were driving on a small road when she hit a patch of black ice and swerved...off the road into a ravine. The ravine was steep. The passenger wore her seat belt while the driver did not. The driver was shot out of the vehicle and rolled down the ravine into rocks below. They killed her instantly. The passenger lived. She came out with a broken leg and tons of cuts.<br /> <br /> Moral of the story is...guess what...seat belts are there for EVERYONE's safety. Unfortunately enough people do not look out for themselves...so someone has to. Think about this logically. So yes, you may think it is a ridiculous violation of your rights, however it is a law to protect people. Just like speed limits. <br /> <br /> You will not get jail time for breaking the seat belt law, just a fine. --Unless of course...you ignore the ticket and have a warrant for your arrest.--

09-27-2012 at 4:25 PM

i don't think you should have to wear your seatbelt if it isn't hurting anyone. same with helmets. <br /> <br /> seatbelt laws are an outright violation of your autonomy. i do wear a seatbelt because i think it is safe, and out of habit. i don't think the issue is so much about whether it is a good idea to wear seatbelts, but instead if people who don't should be threatened with a fine into wearing them. <br /> <br /> the issue may seem small, but apply this to drug laws, the economy, ect. and it's a very important idea that people must decide on.<br /> <br />

09-27-2012 at 5:31 AM

Not really sure what happened to my post...<br /> <br /> Anyways, I've clearly stated that I am not talking about children. I firmly believe that an individual under the age of 18 should have to as they are not able to determine if they want to take that risk or not. Just like an individual under the age of 18 cannot legally purchase tobacco or sign up for the army. They aren't able to make a decision that will effect their own welfare.

09-26-2012 at 5:19 PM

Do you feel we ahouldn't force kids to wear aeatbelts? Keep in mind that children are naive and wont really understand he full extent of the potential damage (sorry for typos, im on iphone)

09-26-2012 at 11:18 AM

I don't understand why someone wouldn't wear a seatbelt. While there can be damage due to a seatbelt during an accident, it outweighs the chance of death or permanent disability in not wearing one.<br /> <br /> I could list the stories I've read in the news this year about kids who died because they weren't wearing seatbelts. <br /> <br /> I believe in government requirement in wearing it, otherwise parents wouldn't make their children buckle up. (Some still don't.)<br /> <br /> One has to remember that while you as an adult make a conscious choice weighing the risks, do you know how that choice affects others?<br /> <br /> Think of the mothers and fathers who died leaving behind children shy a parent. Think of your parents' about burying their own child. If, gods forbid, someone hit you and you died, think of the additional trauma that causes them, if you would have survived if you had been wearing a seatbelt. <br /> <br /> Death is a conscious choice on your part, but quite often we don't think enough about how our death affects those around us. <br />

09-26-2012 at 7:07 AM

Before the accident, I religiously wore a seatbelt. I had a mother that wouldn't so much as turn on the vehicle until we were fastened securely in. Seeing the negative effects of wearing a seatbelt when he was neither impaired or speeding, really got me to think. Why is it necessary that we are told to wear a contraption that does carry some risk to injure us? Why is it not a personal choice?

09-25-2012 at 8:53 PM

To be honest i dont know why someone wouldnt want to wear aomething that keeps them from shooting through the windshield

09-25-2012 at 7:58 AM

If I had to get a metal plate put in or any other damage, that expense would go to me. Just like any other issue where I need medical care.<br /> <br /> Seatbelts can cause harm. Recently my husband's cousin was disembodied by a seatbelt in an accident while wearing it correctly.

09-24-2012 at 6:32 PM

Is your post about the government or the seatbelts? If your main argument is government regulations and restrictions I feel there are better cases for that than the seatbelt laws.<br /> <br /> As for seatbelt laws, you may still be putting others at risk if you don't wear one. Without a seatbelt you aren't strapped in. There are cases of people being thrown around in their car and colliding with other passengers and injuring them because they aren't strapped in. There are already laws about helmets for motorcycle riders in certain areas. Do you feel this is different than the seatbelt issue? Or do you believe there should be no helmet laws?<br /> <br /> Some people don't know that seatbelts can be the difference between life and death. The law is there to protect those people. Seatbelts don't cause you harm to use or make you go out of your way. It's not unreasonable to have them require you to snap a buckle on. <br /> <br /> There are many regulations. What about needing certain housing permits (for example your stairs have to be certain measurements) but why do you need to follow them if you're the only one living there? See what I mean? <br /> <br /> Granted there are some laws that go to far and people do protest them because it is not in the right interest. It reminds me of when people went crazy over SOPA. <br /> <br /> Tldr; if you're arguing government involvemet there are better examples / seatbelt laws are to protect you and others. It doesn't cost you anything and it's not a big deal to put one on<br /> <br /> * using iPod so I didn't type as much as I wouldve liked and didn't get into more detail or get more examples. Sorry if autocorrect went goofy

09-24-2012 at 5:33 PM

If you want to get brain damage & have to get a metal plate stuck in your skull (true story, i know someone like that) be my guest, but I dont expect to pay for it with my taxes

09-23-2012 at 9:17 PM

It may be just a seatbelt but where does it end? What if it became mandatory to wear a helmet while driving, or face a fine? I mean, its just a helmet, just strap it on and go and you reduce your risk of injury if you get in an accident.<br /> <br /> It may be a simple step but it shouldn't be punishable by law if someone chooses to go without. Its not the goverments decision of what someone should do for their safety. Well it shouldn't be anyways.

09-23-2012 at 6:45 PM

I guess I just don't understand why putting a seatbelt on is such a big deal. I mean, it's just a seatbelt...

09-23-2012 at 4:33 PM

I agree that it is your right whether to wear a seatbelt or to not. You are taking a risk that will only affect you. I mean, if government enforces seatbelts, then why are there motorcycles on the road?

09-23-2012 at 9:25 AM

No it doesn't seriously effect me in any other ways but I don't feel it is the governments right to tell me what I should and should not do for my own personal safety. I could understand that if I wasn't wearing one i'd almost always be causing harm to others but I'm really not. If I want to take that risk, I feel that is my right.

09-23-2012 at 8:01 AM

I don't see how it's a violation of your constitutional rights. Does wearing a seatbelt cause you harm in any way? Other than the mild discomfort, or maybe even the inconvenience of having to put the belt on, does it really affect you all that much?