Taxation by Speeding ticket (Iowa City: insurance, crime, home)

[Mathguy]

No, I didn't get one.

I grew up near the Iowa\IL border and went home this past weekend from Kansas. Wow, I've never seen so many police speed trapping.

In total, I probably saw 4-5 people pulled over just in Iowa from I-35 at the Missouri border until near Iowa City on I-80.

This was Thursday late morning\early afternoon and thats about triple the normal police presence.

[DMRyan]

I heard the state received a grant for increased traffic enforcement over the 4th of July weekend.

[zz4guy]

Same goes for seat belt tickets. The ruse is they are trying to keep us all safer. Riiighht..

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

Same goes for seat belt tickets. The ruse is they are trying to keep us all safer. Riiighht..

Uh huh!! The police in Iowa have so much time on their hands by ignoring real criminal activity, that they can pull over any law abiding person driving the speed limit, straight down the road who just happens to not have their safety belt on. Good easy money for the state.

It's wonderful that they're doing this. You never know if someone's in an accident and is thrown from the vehicle through someone elses vehicle windshield causing them harm. This is the only explaination for the crackdown, because someone wearing a seatbelt is otherwise potentially harming no one but themselves. Government, get out of our face.

[NCN]

Money charged for commiting a crime is not a tax.

[zz4guy]

Originally Posted by jmgg

Uh huh!! The police in Iowa have so much time on their hands by ignoring real criminal activity, that they can pull over any law abiding person driving the speed limit, straight down the road who just happens to not have their safety belt on. Good easy money for the state.

It's wonderful that they're doing this. You never know if someone's in an accident and is thrown from the vehicle through someone elses vehicle windshield causing them harm. This is the only explaination for the crackdown, because someone wearing a seatbelt is otherwise potentially harming no one but themselves. Government, get our of our face.

LOL! I never thought about that. Good thing babies are in the back seat. They could torpedo out of the vehicle and hit an innocent pedestrian.

[jmgg]

Originally Posted by zz4guy

LOL! I never thought about that. Good thing babies are in the back seat. They could torpedo out of the vehicle and hit an innocent pedestrian.

You know, if you think about it, almost all laws are to protect the public or the public's property from the actions of others. DUI's, speeding, assault, embezzlement, whatever, are crimes that can potentially hurt others and thus are justifiably laws to be enforced. When you look at the seat belt rule, it's an exception. It's government dictating to an adult something that is ONLY to protect that person and affects no one else. What happened to personal responsiblity? The right not to be harrassed at the whim of some badge heavy, gung ho kid wearing his brand new uniform? Can you imagine the laws that could be invented and enforced to protect us from hurting ourselves in everyday life? All day long we would be breaking laws by doing something that could hurt us.

[mofford]

I used to feel resentment twards the seat belt law, my dad got a ticket for not wearing his belt about 6 years ago and started wearing it. A couple years back he was driving at night and there was a tractor on the shoulder of road that had an attached piece of equipment that extended onto the roadway. The problem was the tail lights and reflectors were so covered in dirt that he could not see it. He plowed into it going 50 MPH and had some cuts and bruises, but he had his belt on and the air bag deployed. His minivan was totaled, but he wasn't.

I had a seat belt ticket about 3 years ago and started wearing it, only because I don't want to get a ticket. I would not wear it unless there was a fine for not wearing it, and I had to get nailed once before it soaked in that I can't get away without wearing it, just like the old man. I've never had an accident since then, but it might of been the best 55 bucks I ever spent. Since it's more than $100 fine now, I put it on all the time. I hate the government telling me I have too wear it, but it saved my dad's life, so on this one I will yield to big brother. Hell, Im so crazy that I even wear my helmet once in a while when I ride my motorcycle, and there isn't even helmet law here. (and I don't want one either, because I know I will have to get busted once before I would wear it all the time)

[jmgg]

I didn't say it isn't smart not wearing your seatbelt. Of course it's the intelligent thing to do. It's also not very smart driving a convertible. Where does it end?

[QuadCityImages]

How about when someone gets seriously injured because they weren't wearing a seat belt, and requires a lot of medical care. This raises all of our insurance costs in the long run, IF they have insurance. If they don't, it raises all of our medical costs because hospitals have to make up for uncompensated care somewhere. The idea that none of the cost difference between a minor injury and a serious injury will be borne by anyone other than the person who decides not to wear a seat belt is pretty unlikely.