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You haven't answered the more important question; WHY do you feel the government should be able to mandate seat belt use?
Why don't you answer this question: The government tells us what and what not to do every day. They tell us not to speed, they tell us that we can't buy narcotics, they tell us that we can only go on green and stop on red. How is a seat belt laws any different from these other laws?
I could care less about the reasons for why they mandate seat belt use. It may be for federal money to have seat belt laws. It may be because insurance companies are pressuring the government since they don't want to pay out the hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses , car repair/replacement, and/or funeral costs, which are later passed on to other policy holders in higher premiums (and this is how non-seat belt wearers affect the GENERAL public) - this is why I think government should mandate seat belt use, and require it on all enclosed vehicles that travel on public roads.
Driving is a privilege, and as with any privilege it can be revoked at any time, and sometimes, for any reason.
Live with it. YOu have the choice of moving to a state that doesn't have seat belt laws.
Why don't you answer this question: The government tells us what and what not to do every day. They tell us not to speed, they tell us that we can't buy narcotics, they tell us that we can only go on green and stop on red. How is a seat belt laws any different from these other laws?
Those other laws are there and justified because the public understands the benefit of having those laws in place. All of the laws listed above affect public safety. What your trying to debate is an issue of PERSONAL safety. The 2 laws are not the same.
I could care less about the reasons for why they mandate seat belt use. It may be for federal money to have seat belt laws. It may be because insurance companies are pressuring the government since they don't want to pay out the hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses , car repair/replacement, and/or funeral costs, which are later passed on to other policy holders in higher premiums (and this is how non-seat belt wearers affect the GENERAL public) - this is why I think government should mandate seat belt use, and require it on all enclosed vehicles that travel on public roads.
You could care less for the reasons why, yet your going to sit here and debate with people that actually do. How productive.
Driving is a privilege, and as with any privilege it can be revoked at any time, and sometimes, for any reason.
Live with it. YOu have the choice of moving to a state that doesn't have seat belt laws.
How impractical. Your wanting someone else to move because of an issue your not even affected by. You and your family are not going to be impacted by ME not wearing a seat belt. If I somehow come flying through my windshield into the middle of you and your family's dinner,.. then well, maybe it was divine timing.
People die everyday in this country and expose themselves to all kinds of risks. Some people expose themselves to smoking which kills far more every year than seat belts. Some people expose themselves to alcohol which also kills far more every year and is even a public threat to others who are not intoxicated. The fact is that our society picks and chooses what laws are needed to benefit the majority of its population. Or at least that's how its designed.
What your doing is picking an issue that you feel strongly about, and wanting to control everybody else's life because of your sentiment. Solely.
If we start to outlaw, inhibit, and ban everybody's pet peeves, than we're sacrificing our freedom in doing so.
If you feel strongly that others need to where their seat belts then do so through education, debate, or information. Don't do it through a government mandate because your not thinking about all of the ramifications. You even said so yourself in the above paragraphs.
There's legal reasons as well as civil rights as to why seat belt laws should be outlawed. Good luck trying to get a person who was saved by not wearing a seat belt to strap up every time they're in the car. Some of us have been saved by NOT wearing a seat belt. You can site whatever reasons you want, but not everybody who does not wear a seat belt does so because they're too "stupid" to figure out the statistics.
ARUS "and if I had it my way, EVERYONE in an enclosed vehicle would be forced to wear a seat belt, even those in the back seat, even on school buses. and there would be no exceptions for classic cars (those cars made before Seat belts were made mandatory to the car manufacturers)"
The question is why? WHy are you so concerned about everyone else? I am also a fan of classic cars and if I had to alter the original state of the vehicle to make someone like you happy I would be pissed. If I died driving my classic because it had no seatbelts...then I die, end of story. I dont have to drive it if I didnt feel safe but I would because I enjoy the simplicities in life that AMericans once lived. Whats the big deal with that? WHy are you oppossed?
You sound very angry over this. I assume you want to ban the use of motorcycles then on public roads, and only allow smoking on private property, etc.. If you dont then your argument holds no water. Why not just increase the insurance premiuim for those that do not wear seatbelts? End of story.
I wear my seatbelt, not because the law tells me to but because I choose to.
Its like mandating a law that in the winter months you MUST put studded tires on your car because they are safer and tests have shows that more deaths occur without them in winter conditions. The govt will provide you with the tires but then you get pulled over because you didnt install them in a timely manner even though there were no hazardous conditions. Would you agree thats a fair law? What about helmets for pedestrians along side the road? You could keep making up laws to make people follow but where does it end?
Just let people be people...worry about yourself and your family.
Not wearing a seat belt and ignoring the facts that it increases your safety within a vehicle is pretty stupid to me.
I am sure there are things you do that seem stupid to others but does that give them the right to call you stupid and mandate laws against them? As long as you care about the facts thats all that matters.
I don't know about mandating that seat belts should be worn, except for minors who cannot make the decision themselves, but if someone chooses to not wear one, I think they should forfeit the right to sue or collect from an insurance company for injuries. If you do not protect yourself, you should not be able to try and hold someone else responsible for your injuries.
I enjoy riding my motorcycle, but I fear for my life every time I see some idiot talking on his or her cell phone while driving. These morons have almost killed me several times. In one incident, the woman behind the wheel of some SUV missed me by less than 2 feet, but the car behind me broadsided her. I made certain that the police got my information in their report.
I believe also, however, that seat belts and brakes be removed from the vehicles of people who believe they know better how to run my life than I do. I wear my seat belts, obey traffic laws and keep my cell phone off while I am in my car. I have not had a traffic ticket for nearly forty years, and I make certain to vote Republican in every election.
My BIL was killed earlier this year by a teenager on her phone texting friends instead of paying attention to the red light in front of her.
I am sure there are things you do that seem stupid to others but does that give them the right to call you stupid and mandate laws against them? As long as you care about the facts thats all that matters.
Well the OP wants to run completely on opinions so what's the point of facts.
ARUS "and if I had it my way, EVERYONE in an enclosed vehicle would be forced to wear a seat belt, even those in the back seat, even on school buses. and there would be no exceptions for classic cars (those cars made before Seat belts were made mandatory to the car manufacturers)"
The question is why? .
I already answered it. Your idiocy to not follow laws, AFFECT me financially. I'll see it in the premiums I pay for car insurance to allow me to drive on public roads every day, when morons who do not follow the law get into accidents, causing thousands of dollars in damage whether to themselves or to others and property.
Why should I pay for your stupidity?
I was just involved in a car accident recently. Seat belts saved my life. It also saved the life of the woman who hit us. She broke her leg in the process, and damaged completely our 12 year old car and her BRAND NEW import.
My Emergency room care bill was $12,000. That's $12,000 that will be assessed against the person I was with car insurance policy and MY personal car insurance policy (depending on what their coverage covers). The woman's medical bill is in the HUNDRED thousand dollar range.
That's $12K that would not have been caused if the woman had heeded the traffic lights and didn't run a red. And that a hundred thousand dollars worth of damage that will now have to be paid out by the insurance companies involved.
What do you think it would cost to cover if one of us died? My policy goes up to $500,000 that would be paid out due to an accident (depending on type of accident).
Who do you think PAYS for these payments? The customers of the insurance companies, as the cost is passed onto them in the form of reduced coverage, or higher premiums.
So I ask again, why should I pay for someone's stupidity by their actions, in my jacked up premium rates?
Not the same comparison, a better one would be having home insurance yet you leave your door unlocked, therefore the insurance company should pay you for your own stupidity.
You can call it whatever you'd like. Should locking your door be mandated by the government too?
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