Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
According to Professor Google from the University of Wiki, there are approximately 40,000 motor vehicle deaths in this country each year. Now some of those are pedestrians and motorcyclists but let’s ignore that relatively small number.
They also say that wearing seatbelts saves 15,000 lives per year. Therefore, the effectiveness of seat belt wearing is approximately 27%, less than a third.
A person’s chance of dying in an automobile accident in a given year is about 1 in 10,000 or 1% of 1%.
Yet, even with those pitiful numbers, nearly 90% of drivers wear their seatbelt all or most of the time. (most if not all states have seat belt laws which may play into that number)
According to Prof Google, of people who die in auto accidents, 47% are not wearing their seatbelt. Doing some math, I came up with an 8 times greater chance of dying if you aren’t wearing a seatbelt.
Interestingly, folks die in accidents EVEN if they are wearing their seatbelt
And
There is a non-zero chance that wearing a seatbelt can actually cause a fatality when that might not have happened otherwise (unable to escape a burning or submerged vehicle).
Just some food for thought (and there is some between the lines context here if it isn’t obvious)
"A person’s chance of dying in an automobile accident in a given year is about 1 in 10,000 or 1% of 1%."
Maybe because of air bags.
"Just some food for thought", only if you want to waste yourtime on nothing!
Why so aggressive? This officer gave a safety presentation at my place of work. Why wouldn’t I believe him?
Because it's unbelievable.
Wow, I didn't realize just how deeply authoritarianism is ingrained into authoritarians. You'll apparently believe anything. ANYTHING.
You've just helped me to understand, just a little bit better, how so many could believe so much BS about Trump. It's just blind adherence to authority, in that case, television/internet media and opposing politicians.
I do. I pay insurance, and don't like my rates going up because others don't want to act responsibly.
Same with health insurance. I support the mandate. The GOP plan of encouraging people to skip out on insurance, use the emergency room, and then not pay your bills (that's not what they SAY their plan is, but effectively that's how it plays out) affects me directly. It is the primary reason that US Medical costs are exponentially higher than the rest of the world.
The parallel to the seatbelt laws is obvious. People say "my life, my choice", but your choices affect those of us who are responsible.
I support seatbelt laws
I support motorcycle helmet laws
I support universal health coverage (in some form)
I also support people having a choice in any of these, AS LONG AS they are opted out of any extra care that is needed as a result of their decision. As for the obvious (COVID SHOT) reading between the lines: I'm fine with people having a choice to get the shot or not, in fact I think that's how it should be. But they should have to be responsible for their decision, their insurance should not pay for extended hospitalizations that are a result of COVID, and they should be held accountable if found lying about their status to gain access to an event or location that requires having the vax. Don't want to answer about your status, just don't go to places that will ask.
Free choice and accountability.
Agree with all of the above, but if one chooses to do irresponsible things like driving without a seatbelt, riding a motorcycle or bike without a helmet, deciding not get a vaccine - the accountability extends beyond the obvious monetary burden their choice makes on the rest of society.
How about the families, spouses and dependent children whose lives will be forever changed by the foolish choices of a parent or a a partner? No amount of money can repair that damage. How can they be made accountable for that?
We are observing a general regression of societal norms and personal integrity, at least in certain subcultures. All part of the movement to make America "great" again.
How do you avoid a driver broadsiding you in the middle of an intersection?
Or better yet.. sitting at a red light and some one plows into you from behind. This happened to me about a year and a half ago.. no harm to me, but car was in bad shape... no avoiding accidents like this other than staying off the road..
As a safe driver, and i think i am, there are ways of avoiding accidents. Driving slow or simply not being in a hurry is the biggest one IMO. I tell my son, who just started driving, don't be in a hurry.. leave with ample time to get there... its ok to be 15 min early or even 30 min early....
I’m really surprised by the stats posted. I talked to a Highway Patrol officer one day who told me in 30 years he had never found a dead person in a seatbelt.
The combination of seatbelts, airbags and crumple zones in cars have made driving so much safer than 40 years ago.
How many dead people did he find who were not wearing seat belts?
Wow, I didn't realize just how deeply authoritarianism is ingrained into authoritarians. You'll apparently believe anything. ANYTHING.
You've just helped me to understand, just a little bit better, how so many could believe so much BS about Trump. It's just blind adherence to authority, in that case, television/internet media and opposing politicians.
Status:
"I don't understand. But I don't care, so it works out."
(set 9 days ago)
35,634 posts, read 17,975,706 times
Reputation: 50664
This whole thread reminds me of my preschooler, back in the day. He was oppositional, and would choose things that were to his disadvantage just so he didn't have to follow the rules.
Case in point, I had a bowl of candy and told him he could choose 3 pieces. Go ahead and pick three, any three. "No, I want two". Geeze Louise. Thankfully, he grew out of that phase and is now a delightful man.
But really. "NO, I won't wear a seatbelt, just because you told me I should".
Just curious. To those of you who choose not to wear a seat belt. If you have children in your car, do you require them to wear a seat belt? What are your thoughts about car seats?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
