|
Author
|
Topic: WHAT??? No seatbelts?!?!
|
bowjunkie
Knows what it's all about
Member # 887
|
posted October 17, 2007 08:16 PM
I'll chip in here I think it should be a choice not a law ..I wear mine most of the time but .... thank God my daughter wasn't 2 yrs ago or she would be wearing wings today the other 2 in the jeep weren't so lucky both were killed ...by the way I have a hopped up
'rock crawler" for sale I just can't bring myself to drive it anymore
Posts: 35 | From: the high mountians | Registered: Jul 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
6mm284
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1129
|
posted October 18, 2007 03:50 AM
if the non wearer were the only one affected in event of an accident I would be all for the "freedom" defense of not wearing a seat belt.But that is not the case and everyone knows it.I dislike government intrusion as much as anyone but I do not view non seat belt use as a way to defy gov't as being a noble cause.I also know of numerous people who died in relatively mild rollovers but were thrown clear and killed by the impact or by then being rolled over by the vechicle. Wearing seatbelts is not a matter of freedom, it is a matter of judgement.If seat belt usage gives one a better chance of seeing children and grandkids grow up and not risking them having to bury you, then what could possible be any reason not to wear one,it has nothing to do with the government. pick a different fight with the government.
Posts: 198 | From: N46 06 E91 11 | Registered: Feb 2007
| IP: Logged
|
|
JoeF
resides "back east"
Member # 228
|
posted October 18, 2007 04:02 AM
I was lucky when the seatbelt law was passed, I had a diesel pickup with glow plugs. I developed a habit of belting in while holding the key in the glow position. Absolutely painless and one of the easiest habits to form ever. I feel naked w/o a belt now.
I have reason to believe that I'd have suffered more severe injuries on two occasions w/o a belt.
Same for helmets, I've got one around here somewhere with black marks across it. Had that have been my naked gourd I doubt that I've had made it.
Posts: 646 | From: Midwest | Registered: Aug 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
Kokopelli
SENIOR DISCOUNT & Dispenser of Sage Advice
Member # 633
|
posted October 18, 2007 04:52 AM
All good points regarding seatbelts & helmets, but as Bowjunkie points out.... it should be a choice; not a law.
Again; where do we draw the line on letting others think for us and mandate what's best for us?? If we want to save lives, how about we outlaw high fat diets & movie theater popcorn? Pass the unsalted tofu please. A good cigar notwithstanding, tobacco use is probably bad for you; let's outlaw it for your own good and lower insurance costs. Unprotected sex?? That could make your plumbing leak & rot your pipes; going to need some serious gov. regs on that one. How about mandatory fitness standards?? You don't need a crystal ball to see that one coming in the workplace. Skydiving, rockclimbing & scuba?? All high risk activitys. Better put an end to all of that for the common good. Guns???? My Gawd, guns kill things....
What it comes down to is not about saving lives or insurance costs or even doing the right thing. It's about control.
End of rant.
--------------------
And lo, the Light of the Trump shown upon the Darkness and the Darkness could not comprehend it.
Posts: 7663 | From: Under a wandering star | Registered: Apr 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
TOM64
Knows what it's all about
Member # 561
|
posted October 18, 2007 04:57 AM
Being thrown clear is an old joke. Arguments can be made either way on the seatbelt law but we all know the odds say it's safer to wear a seatbelt which I do on the highway.
Now what about something else that has just as much to do with public safety and will affect us all at one point or another, at what age should we lose our drivers license or at least be tested?
We've all seen the elderly person driving too slow because of reasons varying from, can't see past the hood, reflexes too slow, forgot to step on the gas pedal, forgot they were driving, etc. etc. Heck I know one guy who has a habit of falling asleep at the wheel, fortunatley he drives slow and wears his seatbelt. ![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
Like it or not we have laws, some make sense, some don't. It just depends on who lobby's the loudest as to which ones are the most important. I don't like being told what to do anymore than anyone else.
ps. My favorite seatbelt law is kids don't have to wear seatbelts on school buses, they don't even have them. It'd be too expensive to install them. Yep they're really concerned about our welfare.
Posts: 2283 | From: okieland | Registered: Feb 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
BigO
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1062
|
posted October 18, 2007 06:42 AM
when I was a kid I would put on my seatbelt. My parents would tell me to take it off because they would kill you in an accident. So, I didn't wear one for a long time.
As I got old enough to drive, I realized my parents were crazy. But, I wasn't gonna be forced to wear one. Because they are restraining, they wrinkle your clothes, and it's a general pain in the ass to have to pull it down there and click it in place.
After I became an officer and started going to a few accidents, I realized that they aren't as restraining as the belts on a gurny. They don't wrinkle your clothes as much as the stearing wheel slamming into your chest at 45 (not 80) mph. And, they aren't quite as big a pain in the ass as having several compound fractures and lacerations.
If you think the only fatal accidents happen on freeways at 80 miles an hour, you are lying to yourself. I have been to two or three fatal accidents on highways with speeds over 65 mph. I have been to alot more than three on 45 and 55 mph rated roads. And most people are killed in accidents within 20 miles of their homes.
Out of the hundreds of accidents I have been to I have seen ONE, that not wearing a seatbelt saved a life. But, I have never removed a corpse from a seatbelt either.
If they weren't so graphic I would see about posting some pics of non-seatbelt wearers on here. You could see how free they are now. They don't have to go to school or work. Hell they don't even have to breath.
Posts: 64 | From: reno co. ks. | Registered: Dec 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
furhvstr
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1389
|
posted October 18, 2007 07:46 AM
I wear a seatbelt cause my wife makes me.
Posts: 144 | From: California | Registered: Apr 2007
| IP: Logged
|
|
JD
HONORARY OKIE .... and Tim's at fault!
Member # 768
|
posted October 18, 2007 03:40 PM
quote:
You could see how free they are now. They don't have to go to school or work. Hell they don't even have to breath.
Damn straight, at least they died free, & to top that off....why should I get all worked up about it, they made the choice, bad shit happens to all of us sooner or later.....I`ve seen hair smeared on the highway before, so, it is absolutely no concern of mine if that person decides to die that way, if I don`t want to see that sort of thing then I can simply NOT work a job that requires it. If that mans wife doesn`t want to be "burdened" by his death then she can be like furhvstrs wife & make him wear a belt but again, why should my beliefs be imposed on them, why should my version of common sense be forced upon them, we have enough laws now that everyone of us is a criminal at some time or other & probably doesn`t even know it....enough is enough already & the idea of forcing someone to think & act certain way doesn`t ring of freedom, rather it smacks of oppression.
Kokopelli.......very good post.......I think I may write you in on the 08 ballet. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
--------------------
Jason
--------------------------------------
What do Obama & TA17Rem have in common........both are clueless asshats!!!
Posts: 1456 | From: NE. | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
BigO
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1062
|
posted October 18, 2007 07:04 PM
If you find a child trying to stick a fork in a wall socket. Do you let them do it, because you believe in their freedom to do that, or do you smack their behind and try to teach them that it's wrong.
Not trying to say those of you that don't wear your belt are children, but to not do something that at some point in time may possibly save your life because you want to be defiante and not conform seems a little childish.
You are free to not wear your belt if you don't want to. But, freedom has a price, If you are willing to pay the price of a seatbelt ticket, then exercise your right to be free and don't wear one. I will exercise "officer discretion" and write everyone I find not wearing one.
Posts: 64 | From: reno co. ks. | Registered: Dec 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
Cdog911
"There are some ideas so absurd only an intellectual could believe them."--George Orwell.
Member # 7
|
posted October 18, 2007 07:21 PM
Tim,
Being a "burden" can come in any number of forms, and many of them have nothing to do with how much your family cares for you.
First off, I'm all for choice, and I think that the gov't should allow you to choose whether or not you buckle up or not, or wear a helmet, for that matter. But, if you choose to use neither, I think there ought to be federally mandated immunities from liability for personal injury for the other driver so they can provide for your family after you become a vegetable or worse. You chose not to wear protective equipment and, if the nature of your injuries indicates that a helmet or a belt would have significantly reduced those injuries, you and your loved ones should be SOL for some big settlement. And believe me, there has been enough research done on trauma kinematics to know if an injury could have been lessened or avoided.
As far as "burdens" are concerned, I wear a helmet when I ride my ATV (most of the time ) and I wear seatbelts because I've seen an otherwise uneventful life become destroyed in a fraction of a second. Some drivers simply didn't see the benefit of trading a couple seconds of inconvenience for the rest of their lives.
Why wear belts and helmets?
Yeah, I think they're a hassle, too. But, I've got a wife and kids. If something happened to me today, I know for a fact that there is no way my wife would be able to come close to what I earn because of limitations she has due to some medical issues. And nothing scares me more than to think of my family doing without because I made a bad choice, ended up permanently disabled or dead, and my wife burning up what we've managed to set aside for our future and for the kids' future paying for medical bills or a nursing home. I've made a lot of sacrifices by not taking trips to places like the campout when I know that the money is better used to beef up that safety net so I know she'll be taken care of if something should happen to me. My wife works, as much as she can, but I'm the guy paying the bills and stuffing the college funds.
My wife loves me dearly, and I have no doubts that if the worst were to happen, she would work to the point of exhaustion and end up, herself, back in the hospital. In time, the investments and savings would run out and eventually, my decision - my choice - would become a very serious burden on her, my son and daughter. Fiscally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. Unfortunately, I know exactly what it feels to be in that place. My wife was hospitalized for a condition several years ago which, at the time, we were told she would never recover. By God's blessing, the doctors were wrong. But even now, I can still see reality's gaping maul, dripping fangs and all, right in my face as I stared down the implications of raising two kids by myself, without her. I don't wish that on anyone.
You can make your own choices, and I guess you probably do for the better - but I learned early on in my EMS career that accidents, injuries, traumatic amputations, untimely deaths and the kinds of things you see when you allow yourself to look back and remember were usually because someone exercised piss poor judgment when they had a choice to make. I used to think hero stories came from guys with exciting lives. In truth, they come from dumbasses that don't have brains enough to save their own butts. LOL
Everything you do is a choice. Make the right choice, you live. Make a mistake, game over. And, there are worse things than dying. Your choice.
Just my opinion, and I have been called an opinionated prick before.
--------------------
I am only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something; and, because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
Posts: 5438 | From: The gun-lovin', gun-friendly wild, wild west | Registered: Jan 2003
| IP: Logged
|
|
JD
HONORARY OKIE .... and Tim's at fault!
Member # 768
|
posted October 18, 2007 11:11 PM
Big O, I see your point & I agree that belts & helmets are a very wise choice but there is a difference between children & adults, my children are my responsibility, not yours, even though I`m sure you`re a fine LEO with our best interest in mind, I`m sorry but it`s not your choice even if the law says it is, YOU already have way to much power over the people, nothing personal mind you it`s just that it is absolutlely none of your business IMO, however the law says otherwise & I do all I can to abide by that law whether I like it or not. I do understand that you are involved in such things on a daily basis & respect your judgement on safety issues as I`m sure they are similair to mine but that isn`t the issue, the issue is freedom & the question is where does MY freedom start & YOUR power end. That may be hard to understand for you but I really don`t need YOU to protect me from myself, even if I decide to scream down the road without a helmet or a belt, it`s my life & if my family is burdened by my death then it`s THEIR problem not yours.
You CAN NOT save the world from themselves so let us live in peace whether it sets well with you or not.
--------------------
Jason
--------------------------------------
What do Obama & TA17Rem have in common........both are clueless asshats!!!
Posts: 1456 | From: NE. | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged
|
|
browning204
Knows what it's all about
Member # 821
|
posted October 19, 2007 05:52 AM
When the Govt. starts paying my truck payment, I will follow their rules on how I ride in my truck!
Posts: 167 | From: New Hampshire | Registered: Mar 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
BigO
Knows what it's all about
Member # 1062
|
posted October 19, 2007 06:58 PM
JD
That is a point of view I can respect. I may not agree with it, but I respect it.
Posts: 64 | From: reno co. ks. | Registered: Dec 2006
| IP: Logged
|
|
|
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
