Seat Belt Laws

[??????????]

Click it or Ticket

Option 2.

[bgwah]

I don't really care, though when you get into a crash and fly through your windshield and smash into the pavement and have your face scrape off as you skid twenty feet, I fully expect the emergengy services workers to go help people who truly deserve help,  or to just sick and back and watch you die as your pathetic life flashes before your eyes.

[Brandon W]

Option 2.  Its not the governments responsibility to tell me to wear my seatbelt.

[??????????]

I don't really care, though when you get into a crash and fly through your windshield and smash into the pavement and have your face scrape off as you skid twenty feet, I fully expect the emergengy services workers to go help people who truly deserve help,  or to just sick and back and watch you die as your pathetic life flashes before your eyes.

You are very right (for the record I do wear my seatbelt 95% of the time), I even had a good friend killed that way a few months back. But regardless, its a persons individual choice and as long as that action isn't affecting any other persons individual rights the govt should have no say in the matter.

[Nym90]

Constitutionally? Hard to say.

I oppose them, at least if the punishment is anything more than being required to take a class educating you as to how stupid it is to not wear a seat belt or some such.

[Inks.LWC Supports Chuck Hagel]

option 1.  only time i've ever agreed w/ granholm

[IDS Judicial Overlord John Dibble]

I'd say it's constitutionally sound at the state level(depending on the state constitutions though), but not at the federal level. The feds don't have any such authority granted by the constitution in my view.

[TexasGurl]

I find it funny that we are forced to wear seatbelts in the car but not helmets on my Harley.

[Nym90]

I don't really care, though when you get into a crash and fly through your windshield and smash into the pavement and have your face scrape off as you skid twenty feet, I fully expect the emergengy services workers to go help people who truly deserve help,  or to just sick and back and watch you die as your pathetic life flashes before your eyes.

You are very right (for the record I do wear my seatbelt 95% of the time), I even had a good friend killed that way a few months back. But regardless, its a persons individual choice and as long as that action isn't affecting any other persons individual rights the govt should have no say in the matter.

We've finally found an issue we fully agree on.

[Southern Patriot]

I would love to find out how much money insurance companies & car seat manufacturers gave to lobby States to pass laws requiring the use of car seats for children. After all, what better way to make money than to get the gov't to mandate people buy your product.

BTW, I only wear my seatbelt in a rental car, and that's only because I get the ones that beep if you don't wear it.

[??????????]

BTW, I only wear my seatbelt in a rental car, and that's only because I get the ones that beep if you don't wear it.

So how many times do you rent a car?

[Southern Patriot]

BTW, I only wear my seatbelt in a rental car, and that's only because I get the ones that beep if you don't wear it.

So how many times do you rent a car?

At least once a month when I go to Pennsylvania to see my son.

[bgwah]

[??????????]

Windshields don't have "sharp pointy glass" as your descriptive picture shows.

[memphis]

Seat Belt laws serve the public interest in that a huge sum of public money is spent addressing head traumas that unbuckled motorists receive in accidents.  Saving these funds is the intent of such laws. Since these laws are not federal laws, they only need not violate any rights protected under the Constitution. As far as I can tell, they seem constitutional. Regardless of the law, I urge everybody to wear their seatbelts. Amid America's fascination with safety, we are completely overlooking the fact that roughly 40,000 Americans (roughly comprable to the number killed during the entirety of Vietnam) are killed each year in automobile accidents. Over a million people worldwide are killed each year.  Somehow the TV totally ignores this.

[Southern Patriot]

It would be in the "public interest" to install seat belts on toilets as well, because someone might fall off and hit their head on the pointy corner of the bathroom sink that needs a protective rubber coating.
People fall down stairs everyday, so why not pass a law outlawing any structure that requires someone to step up?
People choke on food all the time, so should we pass a law requiring food to only be served in liquid form, but not hot liquid because you might get burned and not cold liquid because you may get "ice-cream headache"?
How about beds? They should be required to have rails around the side because people fall out of bed all the time.

You see where I'm going with this (hopefully). Once you allow the government to tell you what you have to do for "your safety" in public, they will soon be able to tell you what you can do for "your safety" in private as well.

With that being said, I will now put my federally mandated helmet back on my head, so that if I fall I will not sustain life-threatening injuries requiring millions of tax-dollars to remain in a vegetative state.

[memphis]

It would be in the "public interest" to install seat belts on toilets as well, because someone might fall off and hit their head on the pointy corner of the bathroom sink that needs a protective rubber coating.
People fall down stairs everyday, so why not pass a law outlawing any structure that requires someone to step up?
People choke on food all the time, so should we pass a law requiring food to only be served in liquid form, but not hot liquid because you might get burned and not cold liquid because you may get "ice-cream headache"?
How about beds? They should be required to have rails around the side because people fall out of bed all the time.

You see where I'm going with this (hopefully). Once you allow the government to tell you what you have to do for "your safety" in public, they will soon be able to tell you what you can do for "your safety" in private as well.

With that being said, I will now put my federally mandated helmet back on my head, so that if I fall I will not sustain life-threatening injuries requiring millions of tax-dollars to remain in a vegetative state.

I think that you are missing the scale of car accidents. All of your mock examples are highly unlikely events.  Over 100 Americans die in car accidents every day. We need to minimize the governement money spent on health care for the far greater number who survive. Just to rile the conservatives, I'll point out that their " I don't want the government protecting me from my own stupidity" argument also implies support for the repeal of laws prohibiting drug use.

[Southern Patriot]

I think that you are missing the scale of car accidents. All of your mock examples are highly unlikely events.  Over 100 Americans die in car accidents every day. We need to minimize the governement money spent on health care for the far greater number who survive. Just to rile the conservatives, I'll point out that their " I don't want the government protecting me from my own stupidity" argument also implies support for the repeal of laws prohibiting drug use.

I agree with you on the drug use laws needing repealed; until the early 1900's there were no Federal drug laws, it was a State issue. You could even buy heroine (which was created by Bayer) out of the Sear's Catalog!

[Southern Patriot]

It would be in the "public interest" to install seat belts on toilets as well, because someone might fall off and hit their head on the pointy corner of the bathroom sink that needs a protective rubber coating.
People fall down stairs everyday, so why not pass a law outlawing any structure that requires someone to step up?
People choke on food all the time, so should we pass a law requiring food to only be served in liquid form, but not hot liquid because you might get burned and not cold liquid because you may get "ice-cream headache"?
How about beds? They should be required to have rails around the side because people fall out of bed all the time.

You see where I'm going with this (hopefully). Once you allow the government to tell you what you have to do for "your safety" in public, they will soon be able to tell you what you can do for "your safety" in private as well.

With that being said, I will now put my federally mandated helmet back on my head, so that if I fall I will not sustain life-threatening injuries requiring millions of tax-dollars to remain in a vegetative state.

[KEmperor]

Time to move to New Hampshire, then.  It's the only state where seat belts are optional.

(So is car insurance, but that's a different argument.)

[Former Moderate]

Time to move to New Hampshire, then.  It's the only state where seat belts are optional.

(So is car insurance, but that's a different argument.)

I love New Hampshire for that, though I'd assume things may eventually change there now that Democrats are in charge.  (It can't stay old school libertarian forever.)

Personally, I'm against seatbelt laws as a primary enforcement law.  You should always wear a seatbelt, but if you want to go flying through the windshield, that's your own business.  I think it's worthy to keep the law on the books as a secondary enforcement law -- it's a good way to give cops an out from writing you a more costly ticket when they pull you over.  Plus, by keeping it illegal at least on some level, it helps prop up seatbelt use.

Car insurance, unless you can "self insure," should absolutely, 100% be mandatory.  If you hit me while I'm in the crosswalk, you damn well better have someone behind you to pay for the damage you caused.

[InsaneTrollLogic]

My 2 cents without reading the long thread: Car Search jurisprudence is ed.

[True Federalist]

Car insurance, unless you can "self insure," should absolutely, 100% be mandatory.  If you hit me while I'm in the crosswalk, you damn well better have someone behind you to pay for the damage you caused.

Car insurance should be voluntary and no-fault, with a conviction for reckless driving required to allow suit.

[Inks.LWC Supports Chuck Hagel]

Car insurance, unless you can "self insure," should absolutely, 100% be mandatory.  If you hit me while I'm in the crosswalk, you damn well better have someone behind you to pay for the damage you caused.

Car insurance should be voluntary and no-fault, with a conviction for reckless driving required to allow suit.

I agree - car insurance shouldn't be mandatory.

[opebo]

Amid America's fascination with safety, we are completely overlooking the fact that roughly 40,000 Americans (roughly comprable to the number killed during the entirety of Vietnam) are killed each year in automobile accidents. Over a million people worldwide are killed each year.  Somehow the TV totally ignores this.

The reason is obvious, memphis - in our Calvinist/masochistic society a risk bourne while going to WORK is acceptable, even commendable.  We only abhor risks which might entail enjoyment.

Oh and as to the question - obviously seat belt laws violate the Right to Privacy in the constitution.