Do you think "mandatory seatbelt" laws are enacted out of sincere concern for our safety?
115401
Seatbelt laws were probably motivated by the insurance company's desire to keep drivers safe and therefore cut their costs.  However, that doesn't mean we can ignore them - regardless of the motivations behind the law, the net effect is increased safety.
449107
Your question is good and very interesting. What it shows is the many contradicitons in the law.\n\nIf goverment had it their way--I imagine they would outlaw many of the personal freedoms we have.\nWhy one law is set in place opposed to another depends on the lobby of folks in higher places that are willing to fight agaisnt it.\n\nIt is a fine line the goverment walks as they make laws on a public level without stepping on peoples personal rights.\n\nHowever--you are not without choice--you can choose not to wear seatbelts and pay the 10$ ticket if caught or you can organize folks to fight agaisnt an unjust law.\n\nLike I said above--it is these fights that explain why we have so many contradictions.
545680
Yes funny question, however the serious side of this is the answer - society is making everyone have to sit up and protect their safety more than ever now.  The world is turning into a sad place.
826281
Yes. I think we are all acting like a bunch of sheep with blinkers on (we don't want the trauma of seeing the wolves herding us).\n\nWe forget that the police are there to enforce the law and not to "protect" us. If it comes to martial law (I'm not talking about the fat TV detective), then whoever is in charge will be the law. Of course he may not be called Adolf, but we could get a modern form of national socialism.
1110598
Many United State citizens are not putting up with the loss of freedoms.  Just witness the ongoing issue with telephone monitoring by the U.S. government and the response to this.  We want to feel safe yet at the same time want to be free to do what we will and say what we want.  As far as turning into a police state I still do not get stopped by law enforcement to check my papers.  I do not have to pass through checkpoints when driving to work.  I want to travel to another state I do not have to clear this decision with any form of legal authority.  We are far from a police state.
1117286
OF COURSE. THAT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS. BUT SOME MORONS DONT GIVE A CRAP ABOUT AMERICA, THEY DONT CARE ABOUT OUR SAFETY.
627398
It depends on the area, but one place the "guardians of the nanny state" do tend to check is toll booths.\n\n\nI wear a seat belt, and think that seat belt use is a good idea. I do not, however support governmental intrusion into every facet of our lives. We should have the right to make decisions about the risks we want to take. As adults, we do not need a "nanny".
377310
Five years after the M40 minibus disaster which killed 12 pupils and a teacher, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents warned today that still not enough is being done to protect children on school transport. \n\nThe victims from Hagley RC High School died in the collision with a lorry on the hard shoulder of the M40 on November 18, 1993. \n\nA four-point action plan from RoSPA calls for: \n\nA date when the wearing of seatbelts on school minibuses and coaches becomes compulsory, \n\nThe driving hours of volunteers to be regulated \nEscorts on school transport to ensure children wear seatbelts, are properly supervised and do not distract drivers,\n \nAll minibus drivers to take a recognised test, rather than just new drivers Dave Rogers, RoSPA Road Safety Adviser said: "I regularly receive calls from parents who are worried about the state of school minibuses and coaches. They are particularly concerned about whether seatbelts come up to scratch and the general safety of older vehicles. \n\n"Seatbelts in minibuses - and coaches - now have to be checked under the MoT test but it is still not compulsory for them to be worn. \n\n"RoSPA has developed a minibus test which addresses general safety checks on vehicles, and also demonstrates how a minibus will handle very differently to an ordinary car. That is why we believe it is vital that all volunteer drivers should take a special minibus test, not just new drivers. \n\n"There is still nothing to stop volunteers driving a party of school children long distances after they have spent a full day at work and may already be tired. \n\n"RoSPA believes escorts have an important role to play in safety on school transport. This is one of the key issues raised in the code of practice which we have developed on minibus safety."
800168
There are many, including driving entirely on private proprety.\n\nThe emergency situation is actually an affirmative defense, based on justification or necessity. The way it works is that it is OK to break some minor laws where there is an immediate danger, and where the illegal activity is the only way to avoid the danger/harm. So, driving someone to the hospital (where you are not the cause of the harm) may be excusable under justificaiton or necessity defense, if there is nobody else who can do the driving.\n\nAs far as designated drives, that probably wouldn't work if it was pre-planned, because then the person would be party to creating the situation where there was the necessity. You generally can't claim the justification or necessity defense if you created the risk or harm in the first place.
213523
Absolutly. I am 17 and when I was 8 I was in a horrible car accident with mom and her friends. no one was wearing a seatbelt, my mom almost died, almost cut the top of her head off matter of fact but she lived thank God and we all came out hurt but breating. Since then It is a habit to put on my seat belt as soon as I get into the car. If a car has no seat belts I dont ride in it. My family is very up tight about our seat belts now. Since then I have been in about 3 accidents, one in which I was driving but we were all wearing our seat belts and no one was injured thanks to that.
40228
Let's see, if you are dead then freedom wouldn't do you any good. But then again I live in the Live Free or Die" state New Hampshire. \nWe are so free that we don't have a seatbelt law.\nThey may say that you are losing freedom but you have already lost it. \nSo I would say safety would be my answer.
1091507
What a great observation. It would seem they do. As you know there are child endangerment laws here in America to protect children from unfit parents. And in my opinion, a parent that would attempt to take a child on such a perilous journey is in breach of the duties of a parent and therefore an unfit parent.
794186
Yes I am concerned, but Congress rolled over and it is legal to torture....which I think makes us all the more unsafer. Think of a soldier captured and getting tortured.
337109
By assault, I take it you mean, Rights that we are losing daily. I will give you my opinion with this understanding. \nI think that our elected officials are quickly forgetting what WE the PEOPLE have elected them into office for. They are IMPOSING their beliefs on US the American citizens without giving us the least concern as to what OUR feelings and or thoughts are. They believe that because THEY are the senate or Congress that they are right in regards to whatever it is they are fixing to take away from us. When in my opinion the EXACT OPPOSITE IS TRUE.  I mean it starts off with small things that IS for everyone's safety. Like the seat belt thing. Helmets on motorcycles. Smoking in restaurants, bar, taverns, coffee, shops. They are even talking about a micro chip for sex offenders. OKAY sounds like a FANTASTIC idea. BUT lets give this some thought. The next thing you know is they need it for medical and now they need it for this and that. I think and believe it is a way for the big brother to keep an eye on you so we are more like prisoners. ENOUGH already didn't mean to tear your ears off sorry. I think our rights are being infringed on too too too much. I think it needs to be STOPPED. and STOPPED NOW.
648071
I'm not sure of the laws your talking about, I don't need someone who is elite to decide for me wether or not my neighbor can just come over my house kill me and take my posessions without penalty.\n\nThe laws your probably talking about are the ones where the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one, and we have no control and have to keep paying car insurance and stuff like that.\n\nOne day we may have politicians elected that do represent the people.  I suggest you check out the Libertarian party.
1177490
You are absolutely right, these security precautions are  window dressing. Unfortunately that's really all we can do. Airport security is simply for the peace of mind of the passengers.  I think that's all law enforcement is, window dressing. In a free society, that's what we get, it's a trade off for freedom.  If someone wants to break the law, they will. But the only way to prevent someone from breaking the law in the first place is to enact something out of 1984, and I sure don't want to be a part of that.\nI seriously doubt that if airport security had confiscated the box cutters on 9/11 it would have stopped those guys from highjacking the planes! they would have done whatever they had to. The more we try to control the future the more out of control this country is going to get. This crap happens, there is nothing anyone can do to stop bad things from happening to good people. We need more faith, not more security.\nGood luck, and calm down, it's going to be ok.
634989
I agree that the government shouldn't be telling people what to do in their own vehicle, and I think that it should be a personal choice. I choose to buckle up most of the time. Force of habit I guess.