# I got pulled over today :( **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 19, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957 "2011-04-19T14:22:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/61 "2011-04-20T17:38:19Z")
> [@Spit](#): > > I believe it to be true, but I still think that to be a BS statistic. If I drive from my house to the grocery it’s a 1 mile drive. I drive the same mile, and pass that same grocery store to get to my office 70 miles away. I also drive that same mile, and pass that same grocery store on my way to Daytona Beach, FL, 700 miles away. > > Since every drive I take begins and ends at my residence, it only makes sense that most accidents would be in a smaller radius around my home. Well, it’s only BS if you’re trying to use it to make the point that there’s something special about driving near your home that makes you more likely to crash. The way I usually see it used is to point out, “Just because you’re only driving a short distance from your home doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear your seatbelt.” ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/62 "2011-04-20T17:53:18Z")
> [@Spit](#): > > \ With that said, seatbelt laws are stupid, and should be fought at every opportunity. Why are seatbelt laws stupid? * * * My car doesn’t go until everyone’s belted in, either. My car, my rules. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/63 "2011-04-20T17:55:13Z")
> [@Machine\_Elf](#): > > The concept is called “risk homeostasis.” it’s the idea that people seek a particular level of perceived risk, and if you take steps to mitigate their actual risk, they will adjust their behavior so as to restore the original level of perceived risk, obtaining additional benefits along the way. Since it’s all about _perceived_ risk, drivers may or may not erase the _actual_ risk reduction that the safety measure produced. > > I haven’t heard this about seat belts in particular, but it’s been used to explain, for example, why anti-lock brakes didn’t produce the expected reduction in accident rates when they were introduced. > > Free online book explaining the concept in great detail [here.](http://pavlov.psyc.queensu.ca/target/index.html) I’ve heard about that - in a nutshell, it sounds like humans just can’t help ourselves - we always have to figure out new, inventive ways to kill ourselves. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/64 "2011-04-20T18:38:41Z")
> [@Spit](#): > > With that said, seatbelt laws are stupid, and should be fought at every opportunity. To add a little weight to this, I’d like to hear your reasoning on this as well. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/65 "2011-04-20T19:51:24Z")
> [@Wallenstein](#): > > No cite, but I have read suggestions that there is a downside to seatbelts. > > By making drivers feel more secure there’s a suggestion that they drive faster and more “on the edge” than if they were floating free in the car. Many - if not most - accidents are caused by other people. I’ve been in more than my fair share of accidents. All but one was caused by people running into me. Nothing to do with my driving style. If I did not wear my seatbelt religiously, I would not be alive today to type this. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/66 "2011-04-20T20:06:11Z")
> [@Spit](#): > > I believe it to be true, but I still think that to be a **BS statistic**. If I drive from my house to the grocery it’s a 1 mile drive. I drive the same mile, and pass that same grocery store to get to my office 70 miles away. I also drive that same mile, and pass that same grocery store on my way to Daytona Beach, FL, 700 miles away… WTF? That’s exactly what the statistic is telling us; of course we all know that every trip begins at home and ends at home (eventually). It’s like saying that the fact that most people are murdered by someone they know is BS, because we spend more time and interact more with people we know than with strangers. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Spit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/76d3ee/32.png) [@Spit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spit)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/67 "2011-04-20T21:21:10Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > WTF? That’s exactly what the statistic is telling us; of course we all know that every trip begins at home and ends at home (eventually). > > It’s like saying that the fact that most people are murdered by someone they know is BS, because we spend more time and interact more with people we know than with strangers. 😕 Yes. You are correct. It would be very similar to your analogy. If 100% of my trips are within 1 mile of my house, but only 10% are beyond 20 miles, then certainly my percentage is higher \<1 mile because I have to drive it every day. So what the hell is the point of the statistic in the first place? It’s bugged me since my driving class when I was a teenager. And seat belt laws are stupid because they don’t work. The OP states she wasn’t wearing one, but she got a ticket anyway. If the law was taken away today, would any seat belt wearers take theirs off? How many of you didn’t wear one before, and because it was a law changed your behaviour? Sorry guys- I didn’t mean to come off in a confrontational manner. I was just sharing something mundane while on a conference call, so I didn’t really have time to make a long qualification. ---
**Author:** ![Beadalin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2011, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/68 "2011-04-20T21:40:10Z")
> [@Spit](#): > > So what the hell is the point of the statistic in the first place? It’s bugged me since my driving class when I was a teenager. The point, as it relates to the OP, is that she and many other people figure, “Oh, I’m just running to the store so I don’t need to put on my seat belt.” As if the short distance you’re traveling somehow magically reduces or eliminates your risk of being in an accident. The OP explicitly stated that she only wears her seat belt for long trips, but never for her routine drives. Given that most people get into accidents on those routine drives, it makes sense to buckle up for them. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/69 "2011-04-21T04:25:49Z")
Well just to be an arsehole about it, if you have trouble wearing a seatbelt because you are too fat then I think the least of the problem is your ticket but losing weight should be a much greater priority. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 10:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/70 "2011-04-21T10:36:21Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > A lot of folks were opposed to seat belt laws because they didn’t want them to be used as income generators. So, to get around this, the law enforcement folks promised that they would only piggyback seat belt tickets onto other things. Then of course, once the law was passed they went back on their words, and started using them for income generation, which was the main thing that those opposed to seat belt laws did not want. So yeah, you were right at one time, but not any more. > > In Maryland, they now set up spotters in some areas who inspect every car with binoculars to see if they are wearing their seat belt. The spotters then radio ahead to a group of cars further down the road with a description of every car whose driver isn’t wearing their seat belt, so that they can pull over several cars at once and write lots and lots of tickets. > > It would be nice if law enforcement were used to catch real criminals, but I guess there isn’t enough profit in thieves and murderers. That is one of the reasons I really miss my old Scout … lap belt only [the tops were removable and interchangable and I frequently drove it totally open like a convertible but no actual top =)] You have no idea how many times I would get pulled over by a cop eager to write me up do have his hopes dashed by the perfectly legal lap belt that was original equipment … \ ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/71 "2011-04-21T14:18:34Z")
> [@Spit](#): > > If the law was taken away today, would any seat belt wearers take theirs off? How many of you didn’t wear one before, and because it was a law changed your behaviour? No numbers to contribute, but… Imagine two groups: Group A is the people who always wear a seat belt, because their mamma taught them to. Group B is the people who will obey pretty much any law that isn’t too silly or inconvenient, simply because it is a law—doubly so if there is money involved. It isn’t to improbably that Group A and Group B together would be more people. In other words, A U B is more than A or B. That means that the net result of the law is more seat belt wearers. The group B - (A ∩ B) is the folks who would remove their belts if the law weren’t there. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/72 "2011-04-21T14:26:59Z")
> [@bengangmo](#): > > Well just to be an arsehole about it, if you have trouble wearing a seatbelt because you are too fat then I think the least of the problem is your ticket but losing weight should be a much greater priority. This is MPSIMS, not the Pit, so don’t be an arsehole. No warning issued. **twickster** , MPSIMS moderator ---
**Author:** ![festiva76](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e8cbc/32.png) [@festiva76](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/festiva76)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957/73 "2011-04-21T22:36:53Z")
We have had a rash of high-school kids getting killed here in the last few months from non-use of seat belts, mainly from rollovers where they were thrown from the vehicle. I have zero sympathy, and would almost be bold enough to show up at the funeral with a “Seat belts save lives” poster. I cannot fathom why people don’t use them. They’re not always comfortable, but neither is life in a wheelchair or eternity in a pine box. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-got-pulled-over-today/578957.md?page=3)