Got pulled over for not wearing a seatbelt. Why is this even a law?

NHwhitetrash wrote:

helmets are for sissies

Helmets inside cars would vastly improve their safety. Race car drivers are nearly indestructible, even when their cars disintegrate around them at 200mph and flip over 20 times.

I've never heard of a non-race-car crashing that fast with anyone surviving, let alone walking away.

Unfortunately these types of laws let ignorant people live longer before they ultimately kill themselves from some other stupid action.

Probably explains the plethora of idiotic PC morans in the USA.

This is one of those cases where I side with the libertarians. Seat belt use should not be mandatory (if you are stupid enough to not wear them the gene pool probably doesn't want you around anyway).

This might increase rates for everyone, but you can probably get around that by changing insurance pay-offs after an accident if it is determined that someone was not wearing a seatbelt (unless you voluntarily disclosed to your insurance company that you don't wear a seatbelt and accepted the higher rates as a result).

Sand Dunes wrote:

This is a victimless crime. No crime, no victim. The reason why this is a law is because the government is tyrannical. Remember what Thomas Jefferson said, "When injustice becomes law resistance becomes duty." Also by Thomas Jefferson, "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual."

The society is the victim. Those who don't wear seatbelts are more likely to be severely injured. That creates unnecessary health care and insurance costs that directly and indirectly affect others.

But you're too self-centered to think about that.

mellow seeds wrote:

I believe the argument is that if you aren't buckled in you could act as a projectile object and thus injur someone else.

^^^^^^^THIS

uranasshat wrote:

Sand Dunes wrote:

This is a victimless crime. No crime, no victim. The reason why this is a law is because the government is tyrannical. Remember what Thomas Jefferson said, "When injustice becomes law resistance becomes duty." Also by Thomas Jefferson, "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual."

The society is the victim. Those who don't wear seatbelts are more likely to be severely injured. That creates unnecessary health care and insurance costs that directly and indirectly affect others.

But you're too self-centered to think about that.

"I prefer dangerous freedom over peaceful slavery. " - Thomas Jefferson

cannon fodder wrote:

Read through a few of those news stories "Driver and passenger killed in auto accident....the individuals were thrown from the vehicle.....vehicle rolled on victims.......were not wearing seat belts........pronounced DEAD at the scene".

Riding motorcycles and in the back of pickups gives people a chance to live their "Inner Darwin".

You're lucky if you are thrown from the car and end up dead. Living is the real nightmare. My father was a maxillofacial surgeon back in the days before seat belts. Facial fractures were his business and business was good! I remember seeing some of these people post-op and thinking I was seeing monsters. Every day was Halloween in our household.

EMT wrote:

It's a good law as who wants to pick up your mangled corpse that may have been ejected from the vehicle? In addition, seat belts cut down on injuries, thus less hospital time and keeps our car insurance premiums down to cover medical costs.

I always wear a seat belt, but requiring exploding air bags in cars is insane.

Many more people are injured by air bags than they help.

OP

The law is the law. No excuse. Quit whining and pay up like everyone else.

I'd agree with you if you signed a waiver that says if you crash no police or ambulance will attend the scene. You should also not be entitled to a hospital bed.

When you end up on the road you cause the government and social services way more headache and cost more money.

People say that drunk driving kills, but have they seen sober people try to drive?

If we share the same medical insurance pool, you sure as heck had better be forced to wear a seatbelt. I don't want myself and everybody else who isn't stupid enough to ride around without a seatbelt to have to pay your pools medical bills.

Semenyagoat wrote:

You are also not allowed to do cocaine. Same argument

Yup. I both cases it is astonishing that the majority of the population believes that it is just fine for the government to be telling them what to do regarding their own bodies and their own safety.

Bigfoot wrote:

If you don't wear a seat belt and are seriously injured, but not killed, in an Auto accident, your Medical bills could become the responsibility of John Q Public. If you don't have medical coverage, or if you have a low limit, there's an excellent chance there will be unpaid bills. Your bills may then be paid by Medicare or Medicaid which is funded by US.

That is a seriously lame argument.

By that logic, should the government regulate your body weight? How many hours you sleep each night? . . . ? Many, MANY things lead to medical bills which "may then be paid by Medicare or Medicaid which is funded by US."

uranasshat wrote:

Sand Dunes wrote:

This is a victimless crime. No crime, no victim. The reason why this is a law is because the government is tyrannical. Remember what Thomas Jefferson said, "When injustice becomes law resistance becomes duty." Also by Thomas Jefferson, "Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual."

The society is the victim. Those who don't wear seatbelts are more likely to be severely injured. That creates unnecessary health care and insurance costs that directly and indirectly affect others.

But you're too self-centered to think about that.

And once again;

That is a seriously lame argument.

By that logic, should the government regulate your body weight? How many hours you sleep each night? . . . ? Many, MANY things lead to medical bills which "may then be paid by Medicare or Medicaid which is funded by US."

456 wrote:

OP

The law is the law. No excuse. Quit whining and pay up like everyone else.

The question was "Why is this even a law?"

Reading comprehension? Or are you one of those folks who think it is not for us lowly people to question the wisdom of laws (in which case I would respectfully suggest you are living in the wrong country).

"Government of the people, by the people, for the people" - Lincoln

ex-runner wrote:

I'd agree with you if you signed a waiver that says if you crash no police or ambulance will attend the scene. You should also not be entitled to a hospital bed.

When you end up on the road you cause the government and social services way more headache and cost more money.

Yet again;

That is a seriously lame argument.

By that logic, should the government regulate your body weight? How many hours you sleep each night? . . . ? Many, MANY things lead to medical bills which "may then be paid by Medicare or Medicaid which is funded by US."

...???? wrote:

Cop wouldn't have even known if my windows weren't down. Why does the government have a say in my safety when it harms no one else but myself if I wreck? Motorcyclists don't wear seatbelts....

By the way, I do normally wear a seatbelt but I was 5 minutes away from where I was going and never went above 35mph.

Law is to protect stupid people from themselves.

That is a LAME argument wrote:

ex-runner wrote:

I'd agree with you if you signed a waiver that says if you crash no police or ambulance will attend the scene. You should also not be entitled to a hospital bed.

When you end up on the road you cause the government and social services way more headache and cost more money.

Yet again;

That is a seriously lame argument.

By that logic, should the government regulate your body weight? How many hours you sleep each night? . . . ? Many, MANY things lead to medical bills which "may then be paid by Medicare or Medicaid which is funded by US."

Emergency care is untimely and puts strain on hospitals. Forget Medicare.

You are a waste of an ambulance. There isn't unlimited numbers of those. If a crash is fatal (more likely without a belt) there needs to be an investigation which is more likely to mean road closures.

Traffic incidents are a huge problem.

You might think it's 'lame' but that's a childish outlook