Thousands Ticketed in Seat-Belt Crackdown Posted: Today at 2:22 p.m. Updated: Today at 2:25 p.m. Raleigh — The state Highway Patrol issued more than 9,100 tickets during a two-week Operation Buckle Up initiative to crackdown on drivers who don't comply with the state’s mandatory seat-belt laws, authorities said Tuesday. Troopers handed out 8,502 seat-belt violations and 679 tickets for child-restraint violations during the statewide campaign. Forty-eight percent of fatalities investigated by the Highway Patrol involve a person who wasn't wearing a seat belt, authorities said. Seat-belt compliance statewide is at 88.6 percent, and authorities said they want to increase that rate to more than 90 percent. I don't understand people! Especially those who do not buckle in their children :twisted: There was a lady yesterday who died on the beltline because she swerved to hit tire debris in the road, she hit the cement thing and was partially ejected.....because she wasn't wearing her seatbelt!!!:-(
Now see, you cant prove that. You can conjecture it, but you cant prove it. She could be been even more mangled had she wore her belt, you never know. As stated above, from the stats the HP quotes, you are safer not wearing your seat belt. For the record, i am for wearing seat belts.
I would like to see a link to the official statistics that say that. Actually, thinking about it, I don't doubt the statistic, however the way it is presented is misleading. If one says that 48% of all fatal accidents involve people who weren't wearing seatbelts, then, yes, 52% would involve those who were. But this does not even consider the seatbelt aspect at all. For instance, if a car and a train collide, and the driver is completely unaware of the oncoming train, wearing a seatbelt or not is not going to change the survivability of the accident. The statistics which would clarify is: Of all fatal accidents 1. How many would would have not been fatal if the person had been wearing a seatbelt? 2. How many would would have not been fatal if the person had not been wearing a seatbelt?
FWIW- I am FOR seatbelt usage. I am against the government regulating the safety of a person over the age of 18 in their own vehicle.
There is just no way to 100% positively prove that if they did wear a belt, they would be a live or vice versa. People will always react differently than others from things like blunt force trauma etc... Dale Earnhardt died from a wreck that most would agree looked somewhat harmless or that he had hit a heck of a lot harder than that before. Rusty Wallace flips what...14 times? and totally obliterates his car and he walks away. Go figure. Every time someone says "If they had a seat belt on they would have survived" is doing nothing more than guessing.
I didn't wear my seatbelt until about 2 years ago. My line of thinking was that if I, or someone crashed into me, and my car was on fire that Icouldn't get out. I still fear that the most about wearing mine. I don't wear my seatbelt when in other peoples vehicle, you never know how good or bad a driver they are and I want the chance to get the heck out of there! I feel like, kids - YES should be buckled up (not like I was growing up in the 70's) Thanks MOM! :mrgreen: Adults, if you don't want to buckle up crash your vehicle and kill yourself, go for it.
It's a wonder they didn't catch me, I got in the bad habit of not wearing it a few years ago, and it's been the devil to get back into it. I had a wreck as a teenager, I probably would have been hurt badly or killed had I NOT been wearing mine, but I walked away with nothing more than being a little sore. I know better, and I don't have a good excuse. DH got pulled a few years ago strictly for not wearing his. Expensive lesson!
The seatbelt saved my life in a head-on collision. I was able to climb out of the passenger side and help the car that crossed over and hit ours. I was severely shaken, but I was ALIVE and okay!!! I will always wear my seatbelt. The paramedics, police and eveyron on scene couldn't believe our totalled car and that we survived. They said had we not worn our seatbelt, we most likely would have been ejected from the car based on impact. Those were their words, not mine. I was just thankful to be alive. Seatbelt usage to me is priceless after a major accident. Buckle up! Stephanie--mom to 7
Cost of wearing vs not wearing? Folks, I look at it this way. Safety equipment requirements, i.e. seat belts (and helmets for us cycle riders) may prevent more serious injury than not wearing them. Federal and state legislatures believe so, and have passed laws requiring their use, with penalties for not using them. Look at it from a third party cost, with certain assumptions: (1) Choosing to not use equipment places one at higher risk of injury in an accident, as compared to using equipment. (2) Insurance costs associated with the level of risk implied, i.e., the riskier the behavior, the more expensive the cost, or less of a payoff of benefits. (3) Using the equipment, for practicality, gives extensive insurance coverage/better benefit payout. (4) The setting is a "No fault" state, where you are responsible for your insurance costs, and I am responsible for mine, therefore, my insurance only pays my costs. (5) that the cost of treatment is at a level where, if one chooses not to use equipment, you are personally responsible for payment, and if using equipment, insurance will cover all the costs. Would you wear the equipment if your insurance company gave you a rebate for wearing them? How about if the insurance company limited the benefits that they paid, if you were not wearing them? This is one of those cases where your choices affect my wallet. If you choose to have limited benefit unless you were wearing the equipment, then the costs of your accident treatment that surpass your benefit gets paid by others, unless you figure the hospital is gonna unplug you once you reach your dollar limit. Of course, they can't, so costs that are attributable to your choices, get paid for by others. For me, I choose to wear my seat belt consciously and require all riders in my car to do so without exception. I figure that if you're in my car, and an accident happens, if you're unrestrained, you become a projectile, and may injure others who are restrained.
DH curses the dinger buzzer thing when he doesn't put on his belt. Then I say, "Am I still your beneficiary?" .... It gets my point across. :mrgreen:
I have a friend who won't wear her seat belt, I won't get in my car w/o mine on and neither do my kids. I won't let her ride w/me because it makes me nervous, heck it even makes me nervous to ride w/her.
