I’m a taxpayer so scraping my ass off the roadway is a service that I pay for (though ambulances usually bill you anymore).
Some folks just have to live in a Nanny State and like overly intrusive laws. Some folks have a modicum of guts and take their chances and will happily live in the dangerous world of freedom. That is the basic difference between the mandatory seat belt crowd and the non-mandatory seat belt crowd.
When I leave for my 78 mile trip to work this afternoon, I’ll buckle up. But I won’t be bent out of shape if other adult drivers that I encounter on the way there aren’t.
i have a friend who often refuses to wear her seatbelt, arguing (I think this is from a movie) “if I’m in a bad accident, I don’t want to live through it.” As others have said, this fails to address the superior control offered by wearing a belt. It also ignore the fact that she has airbags, and will certainly survive, possibly with a broken pelvis if she’s not strapped in. i think I’ll point that out.
Me, I’ve always worn my belts, and i always wear the helmet on my motorcycle. CA has a helmet law, of course, but I prefer the protection, and also the face shield.
You might if the person you’re in an accident with comes through your windshield. Happened to a client of mine. She’s paraplegic or quadriplegic now. The other driver died from going through both windshields and impacting her. That was a pretty gruesome claims report.
Well, I’m not going to go back and figure the percentages but in this thread alone, the number of saves from self induced disaster VS the ones from ‘the other car, deer, 18 wheeler’ make it seem to me that a tremendous reduction in injuries and wrecks would take place if people would learn to drive.
It is a privilege… Okay, then treat drivers just like pilots. It is even more dangerous than flying so the training needs to be longer and more detailed. The medical requirements need to be stricter. Race drivers have proven that helmets save lives so helmets and 5 point harnesses should be mandatory.
Bi-annual actual driving checks should be mandatory. All attendant vehicle checks and time- replacement items should have to be done regardless of the cost. Do it right or walk. It is a privilege.
If there was not a vehicle wreck for 2 full years and then only 1000 per year in the whole nation, the amount of tax reduction would still be less than $1 / person. Anyone know where to go to get the actual numbers?
How many of you really want safety? Willing to face the cost of doing it?
Certified driving instructors, mandatory instruction, federal government inspectors, and check drivers… ad-nauseum.
Back in the days when I actually drove, it would feel weird not having a seatbelt on. When I drive, I often have to make agressive menuevers and I don’t like feeling like I’m not secured to the seat when G forces are tugging me this way and that.
Until I moved, I used to take a short cut home at night through some rural farm areas. The only way it saved time was if I didn’t stop for the stop signs. Being night and flat terrain, you could easily see if there was any traffic. I do carry insurance and drive on the right side of the road though.
Put me in the yes category. I pick my vehicles partly on how well I like the seat belts.
My father special ordered seat belts for his 67 Olds 88. We had to wear them as kids (thanks dad). It’s not an expression when people say they feel naked without them. I don’t know any friends who don’t wear them or wouldn’t if asked (which I do). When I point out that airbags have torn the heads off small children they usually get the idea.
I also personally tested the seat belts on the only new car I ever bought. Ran it into a parked car at 55 mph (before the first payment was made). Car was a little shorter. Neck was a little stiff. Ego was a little bruised. NOTE TO READERS: If you think you can see brake lights in front of you while looking in the rear view mirror think again.
Mr. Adoptamom didn’t want to wear a seatbelt on our first date. I said “fine - we’ll just cancel our date.” After the stunned look on his face wore off, I told him that I’m a mom and I’d like to be around long enough to finishing rearing my child, so if you don’t mind, buckle your seat belt - he did.
To me, it was pretty obvious. He was 6’7" and weight 250lbs. I was 5’7" and weighed 120lbs. I didn’t want his big self to squash my little buckled in self when he went flying across the seat.
He said he’d just never thought about his body having the potential to hurt someone else, and after that has been careful to buckle up for the last 20 years. Good thing, too. He’s has two of his trucks totalled, neither wreck his fault, but would have died in one of the wrecks if he hadn’t been buckled up.
Just another reason I fell in love with him … he wasn’t too macho to listen, learn from and appreciate my viewpoint.
I’ve been wearing a seat belt for as long as I can remember. Mrs. D and I insist all our children wear them and they freak out if the car starts to move a bit and they don’t have their seatbelt on.
Read this thread about how the seatbelts in our van saved Mrs. D and my children’s life.
Re the OP:
In my mind, if seatbelts were really NOT necessary, then there would be absolutely ZERO chance of ever getting into a car accident where the passengers would be flying around inside the cabin of the vehicle. If that were the case then yes, I would not wear a seat belt… but we all know that will never be the case, so I will continue to wear my seatbelt and insist that my family do the same.
Yes, I always buckle up, and insist that my passengers do the same. Although Ohio police can’t stop you or ticket you solely for not wearing a seatbelt, it can be an additional charge on top of whatever else they stop you for.
I do carry insurance and drive on the right side of the road though.