Automotive News, Media & Press - Seatbelt tickets ???

Does anyone else think these are the biggest BULLSHIT tickets you can get. We are suppose to live in the land of the free, yet I can decide for myself if I want to wear a seat belt or not. I know and read all the hype on seatbelts, but still should be our choice to wear or not. To pull us over just for seatbelt is simple crazy to me.
Theres so much more I would rather my tax money be handling then hassling me about my fricken seat belt

Not really because you have to think about more than yourself.

The negligence of not wearing a seatbelt could harm or kill other drivers. Or cause them to kill you.


Let's say you hit another vehicle and this person dies because they weren't wearing their seatbelt. Now you are a criminal and could go to jail. If they were wearing their seatbelt they would of lived and you would just have higher rates.

Sound stupid?


OK now lets say that your sister is driving down the interstate. A SUV hit a barrier and rolls over. The driver is ejected as they aren't wearing their seatbelt. The driver lands into the oncoming lane and your sister runs over the person. Her car is now damaged and she lives with the fact that she indirectly killed someone. For some people that would follow them all their life.


Shrug.


Further in this state you CANNOT be pulled over for seatbelt alone. A higher offense has to be found then they can pull you over for that.

I have NEVER NEVER been given a ticket for not wearing one although I sometimes choose to not wear one.

I am not sure what the gribe is about! Have you gotten a ticket for this??

I always wear my seat belt, so Im more concerned about the "no front plate" BS law we have in Illinois lol

I dont understand why people dont wear their seat belt... especially for above reasons!!

:confused:

Not wearing one is just plain fuckin stupid.
But I guess if you're going to complain about wearing one, maybe you shouldn't. Add a little chlorine to the gene pool if you catch my drift.

Exactly. People should be smart enough to always where a seatbelt in the first place. I've been racing since I was 8 years old (Junior Dragsters) and I just got into the habit of always wearing one.

It should be a law for minors in a car to wear a seat belt. But i am completely against the government telling me that i need to wear one.
There is always a "what if" for every action you do btw.

I am much too pretty to put my face through a windshield , I buckle up and I don't street race. Kinda healthy plan I think....

Not wearing one is just plain fuckin stupid.
But I guess if you're going to complain about wearing one, maybe you shouldn't. Add a little chlorine to the gene pool if you catch my drift.

x23245... Wearing a seatbelt is a necessity to me, and I make everyone that rides with me wear there's as well. Kinda like how I always wore my helmet/jacket/gloves when I rode my motorcycle. Had I not been wearing a helmet when I had my accident, my face would have been smeared all over the fender of a Ford Focus.

I agree with everyone saying that seatbelts save lives and you're a fucking moron if you don't wear one. That being said, it is not the government's place to tell me how to live, or how not to.

To those who dont wear their seatbelts.... why not? Whats the reason? It shouldnt be a law because its common sense to wear one.

I agree with everyone saying that seatbelts save lives and you're a fucking moron if you don't wear one. That being said, it is not the government's place to tell me how to live, or how not to.

^ this is more where Im coming from and why I posted. We all make bad choices and I happen to choose not to wear my seatbelt when I drive. No real reason. I didnt post to bitch, just curious what everyones take was on the seatbelt law in general. Thats all

^ this is more where Im coming from and why I posted. We all make bad choices and I happen to choose not to wear my seatbelt when I drive. No real reason.

At least u were honest lol

^ this is more where Im coming from and why I posted. We all make bad choices and I happen to choose not to wear my seatbelt when I drive. No real reason. I didnt post to bitch, just curious what everyones take was on the seatbelt law in general. Thats all

Well good luck with that... hopefully you don't end up smeared on the highway one day :thumb:

In Texas its a $500 fine.....I always buckle up now.

It should be a law for minors in a car to wear a seat belt. But i am completely against the government telling me that i need to wear one.
There is always a "what if" for every action you do btw.


I agree, I think it should be mandatory to be buckled in while you're a minor, but the day you recieve your license, it should be your choice. If you want to eat windshield, go ahead. I will choose to wear mine though. But, if I just run down to the gas station, not even a mile and speed limit is like 25, and I get a ticket cause I didn't have it on, now thats some bullshit.

If you dont wear your seatbelt do you ever think of the cost it is going to be to recover your dead body from the road?

Normal accidents where youll just get transported to the hospital with some broken ribs and they will be on the accident scene for 20-30 minutes and then done.

Now, if you are ejected they have to do measurements, investigate what happened and 99% of the time close the road for a significant amount of time often effecting people that drive that route to work and such. We recently had an ejection death here and the road was closed for almost 4 hours as they couldnt figure out how he got almost 200 ft from the road.

Stupid law? I think not.

You don't think it's the place for the goverment to tell you what to do? Really? Come one lets not go there.
So If I want to take the 35 minute drive down to fort mill and hunt you down and kill you, thats ok, cause who is the goverment to tell me what to do? Whose to say killing another human is bad. Morals blaaaa.

I know it's an extreme example, but the goverment makes laws to protect it's people, not only from other people but from their selves. If there wasn't any law, or as you put it, "The goverment telling me how to live my life" this place would be a total disaster. People would be running around doing what ever the fuck they pleased.

If the goverment didn't make people pay taxes you'd be pretty pissed when your bridges and roads were falling apart. You'd be pretty pissed when all your goverment agencies failed.

Trust me I don't want the feds telling me what color to paint my house or what my hair cut should be or what car to drive (no General Motors jokes please), but I kinda of like the idea of having someone monitor all the stupid ass people out there who not only pose a threat to themselves but also to everyone else.

I do agree buckeling up is a good thing, and i do it, hope you do too.
Other side of the coin is this,,dont bikers have a choice on helments?
are they not subject to the same damages as mentioned above, hurting me, hurting themsleves, etc...
or are they now subject to haveing to wear them?
Not saying that they should, i beleive in the whole its your choice kinda thing, but saftey measures for one, should be saftey measures for all
and how about school buses,,, im 36 now, but back in the day, there werent any belts in there,,,,, !!!!

end rant:chug:

state to state varies on motorcycle helmets. We have to in MD and i'd be scared not to ride with a helmet on.

wear the seatbelt and shutup. there are way stupider laws out there then seatbelt laws

In Texas its a $500 fine.....I always buckle up now.

That is absurd. $500!! They really need money..
We have to pay 30€ since 1984 and I think it is not going on your record; 94% of the people wear seatbelts in the front seats.

You don't think it's the place for the goverment to tell you what to do? Really? Come one lets not go there.
So If I want to take the 35 minute drive down to fort mill and hunt you down and kill you, thats ok, cause who is the goverment to tell me what to do? Whose to say killing another human is bad. Morals blaaaa.

I know it's an extreme example, but the goverment makes laws to protect it's people, not only from other people but from their selves. If there wasn't any law, or as you put it, "The goverment telling me how to live my life" this place would be a total disaster. People would be running around doing what ever the fuck they pleased.

If the goverment didn't make people pay taxes you'd be pretty pissed when your bridges and roads were falling apart. You'd be pretty pissed when all your goverment agencies failed.

Trust me I don't want the feds telling me what color to paint my house or what my hair cut should be or what car to drive (no General Motors jokes please), but I kinda of like the idea of having someone monitor all the stupid ass people out there who not only pose a threat to themselves but also to everyone else.

We never needed a law in the first place... seatbelts are called common sense, if you want to wear one go ahead, if not go ahead as well. We never had a seatbelt law up until recently. In my opinion its just something else to make money on. I personally wear mine but I don't need someone to give me a hassle/ticket if I choose not to. The reference for murder is a totally different and non related example of laws we need.

Just like someone else said if you go face first out your car window and fuck up the high way for 4 hours while they scrape your lifeless body off the pavement, it cost tax payer money paying for that, the time of people stuck in traffic cause you were an idiot and a bunch of other things. So sure it makes them money, but they need that money to pay all the other things when an idoit goes face first.

I do agree buckeling up is a good thing, and i do it, hope you do too.
Other side of the coin is this,,dont bikers have a choice on helments?
are they not subject to the same damages as mentioned above, hurting me, hurting themsleves, etc...
or are they now subject to haveing to wear them?
Not saying that they should, i beleive in the whole its your choice kinda thing, but saftey measures for one, should be saftey measures for all
and how about school buses,,, im 36 now, but back in the day, there werent any belts in there,,,,, !!!!

end rant:chug:

Crotch rocket bikes should have a choice. They are going so fast I don't think 1/3 inch of foam is going to help!!

This was posted on another website by someone else. Just thought Id share

The seatbelt law is supposedly only about making people wear their seatbelts, on its face anyways. However, the officer is given wide discretion in whether or not to pull someone for a seatbelt violation, with no real requirement of proof btw. According to criminal procedure, an officer is allowed to conduct a "search incident to custodial arrest" for primary offenses, including traffic citations. So this basically does away with the probable cause requirement, as mandated in the Constitution. Many people were being pulled over for a "seatbelt violation", that may or may not be true, then subjected to a search of their person (Terry frisk) and also of their vehicle. This amounted to a free fishing trip for police, allowing them to pull you over, detain you, and then rip apart your vehicle at their leisure. When Arizona v. Gant was decided, it did away with this loophole around probable cause. Of course, there are still ways around the probable cause requirement, but no so blatant as here. For instance, a cop could possibly pull you for a traffic violation, place you under arrest for the 24 hour period, then conduct an "inventory" of your vehicle when its towed to the station. This is for "protection" of the suspect's belongings, lol. Before people start bitching, not all cops do this, but many did and it finally was addressed by the Supreme Court. But does the media report this? Of course not, at least not to any real degree. Many people say that if you don't have anything to hide, then why bitch? But, excessive government intrusion into your personal life has been one of the main points of contention in Constitutional law since its conception. There's always a balance in mind, and Arizona v. Gant is a real step towards actually protecting the rights people are Constitutionally guaranteed. When your car's interior, upholstery, stereo etc is roughly pulled/ripped out, nothing is found, but you're stuck with the damaged parts, you'll be more concerned about this. Oh yea, and good luck seeking compensation for the damages, lol.

End of sermon

Edit: This is a very brief explanation. There are always other issues at play and I skip over some of the details. So before anyone start dissecting my little spiel, it's only meant as a rough explanation of the concept. And as always, this is not legal advice and shouldn't be taken as such.

Theres a difference between laws preventing you from killing someone and laws designed to protect you from yourself. I can go water skiing this weekend fall and break my neck, so the government should make waterskiing illegal?

and its a lot cheaper to scrape a dead body off the road compared to treating a person who wore a seatbelt that has injuries. Seatbelts dont make you invincible.

I always buckle up. That being said excluding minors it is a RIDICULOUS law. You don't want to wear a seat belt more power to you, that's your choice, it's a choice that comes from a little thing you might of heard of called FREEDOM.

Theres a difference between laws preventing you from killing someone and laws designed to protect you from yourself. I can go water skiing this weekend fall and break my neck, so the government should make waterskiing illegal?

and its a lot cheaper to scrape a dead body off the road compared to treating a person who wore a seatbelt that has injuries. Seatbelts dont make you invincible.

Many lakes have a requirement for flotation devices whenever on the water or on a PWC, and most all that I know of have a flotation device requirement when skiing.

I agree with everyone saying that seatbelts save lives and you're a fucking moron if you don't wear one. That being said, it is not the government's place to tell me how to live, or how not to.
x2!!! the gov't has been grossly over stepping their bounds since the days of FDR.. it was necisary back then w/ wwII and all but I think its time to change the gov't back to how its supposed to be.

Many lakes have a requirement for flotation devices whenever on the water or on a PWC, and most all that I know of have a flotation device requirement when skiing.

You make a good point!

But is it really up to the government to make laws protecting me from myself?
I understand private land and the owner doesnt want to be sued.
I'm against the seatbelt laws because how much should the government hold our hands?

Some people believe the government should control everything in our lives to make us "safe", i dont.

It ultimately comes down to control and money. The law gives the state another reason to stop you and potentially search your vehicle and person along with the possibility of collecting whatever cut they feel they're entitled to.

It's hilarious that people think that without the government digging itself every fucking little detail of our lives like a goddamn tick, the world will fall into chaos. Bullshit.

If an adult wants to endanger their own lives, as long as they do not deny the liberty of others in the process, they should do as they wish. The murder hypothetical was pure garbage. The two are not even remotely close to each other.

It should be the adults decision to wear one or not. But I always wear mine so doesn't really effect me. Id be more pissed about the motorcycle helmet law even though 90% of the time I would wear a helmet. But it is nice and convenient to ride around without one sometimes. Unfortunately I think its there to protect the dumb asses. People racing and "stunting" around without a seatbelt or helmet is pretty retarded imo.

dont know why you would not wear one. its not uncomfortable. it can save your life.

I'm surprised at how close this thread is... :suspiciou

I'm surprised at how close this thread is... :suspiciou

What do you mean to say?

What do you mean to say?

I would hope a site that has a good percentage of people who engage in street racing would be in favor of the seatbelt law.
This poll is more of a anti/pro government than it is wearing seatbelts but I still thought there'd be a higher percentage of pro seat belt peeps.

If the goverment didn't make people pay taxes you'd be pretty pissed when your bridges and roads were falling apart. You'd be pretty pissed when all your goverment agencies failed.



Isn't that what government agencies generally do?



I've always had a problem with them pulling me over for not wearing my belt. For the most part, it's on, but I've gone without it plenty times. While I can understand some arguments for the law, I really think it's a damn good revenue builder. When you start spitting out "What ifs", there's no end in sight. "What if" they outlawed big trucks because they'll easily crush puny cars. "What if" driving with glasses is outlawed because an airbag could shatter them in your face.

I don't agree that protecting my own life should be mandated when I'm legally free to plenty of health threatening decisions, however, some of the arguments for Johnny Law's side make good sense.

I would hope a site that has a good percentage of people who engage in street racing would be in favor of the seatbelt law.

Thats about the only time I wear my seat belt, or at the track. Its a personal choice and I feel its uncomfortable when your just driving around in town. Ive been in 4 accidents (none my fault) in town and was uninjured in all 4 without a seatbelt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DWFQ73cevU

Old but IMHO proves that there are pretty good advantages to wearing it regardless if its "uncomfortable"

IMO if you ever go without a seatbelt you're a moron.

Thats about the only time I wear my seat belt, or at the track. Its a personal choice and I feel its uncomfortable when your just driving around in town. Ive been in 4 accidents (none my fault) in town and was uninjured in all 4 without a seatbelt.

When I first got my license and started driving back in the late 90's and felt that I needed to rebel and all that I didn't wear it because I though it uncomfortable and didn't want to do what I was told. But after two tickets I started wearing it to where now it feels awkward to drive without it. I know what your saying though but for me it's the opposite of you, I feel uncomfortable without it. It also helps when I'm driving alitte aggressive as it helps keep me in the seat and in a better driving position as opposed to half my ass hanging over the seat trying to control the wheel.
Anyways, it's all personal preference when it comes to the comfort or whatever but as far as my personal safety I don't need the law to tell me to buckle up.

In KS the seat belt laws started with the assurance that you would never be pulled over just for not wearing your seatbelt. Surprise surprise, now you most certainly can be pulled over for just that. If you have seatbelt laws in your state but have been assured you will not be pulled over for just that, give them time. It will happen.

IMO if you ever go without a seatbelt you're a moron.


How about those riding motorcycles? No seat belt or way of restraint there; you pop something or get hit and you go flying. Why don't we just outlaw bikes? Seems moronic to ride one by that nature.

IMO if you ever go without a seatbelt you're a moron.

I guess all the farmers that drive their truck on their property without a belt on are morons too.

There are a bunch of laws that criminalize -possibility-
(seatbelt, DUI, etc.) without any actual harm having
been done. This is fundamentally evil, in my book. But
the State owns you, so get used to the ankle grip
position.

I hear ya Jimmy!
Land of the free my ass... :nod:

How about those riding motorcycles? No seat belt or way of restraint there; you pop something or get hit and you go flying. Why don't we just outlaw bikes? Seems moronic to ride one by that nature.

Been there done that. Wear a helmet and a gear.

lets keep it simple, wear a seat belt and then you wont get the ticket

I've been pulled over and ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt, cop was standing in the milddle of the road outside of a parking lot looking through peoples windshields then signaling them to pull to the side. At the time I wasnt fully aware of the law if they could pull you over without another reason. And this was over 3 years ago.

There are a bunch of laws that criminalize -possibility-
(seatbelt, DUI, etc.) without any actual harm having
been done. This is fundamentally evil, in my book. But
the State owns you, so get used to the ankle grip
position.


Wait...WHATT????

I always buckle up before I even start my vehicle. It doesn't bother me.

it should be your choice if you wanna go through the windshield or not.

id think people would grab the wheel for life before they go through.

it should be your choice if you wanna go through the windshield or not.

id think people would grab the wheel for life before they go through.

What if in your decision to choose to go through the window you end up being thrown in front of an oncoming car and
A) someone rolls over you and ensures your death and scars that person for life
or
B) that person tries to avoid you and swerves and hits a tree and kills themselves?

That might be extreme but it's happened.

What if in your decision to choose to go through the window you end up being thrown in front of an oncoming car and
A) someone rolls over you and ensures your death and scars that person for life
or
B) that person tries to avoid you and swerves and hits a tree and kills themselves?

That might be extreme but it's happened.

knowing how people are these days, id think they would take the target practice opprotunity :lol:

they shouldnt enforce the seat belt law more or as much as the DUI shit, i know alot of my friends who drink and drive and im just waiting for the day that they get shafted by the man so i can laugh at them.

In CO, we have a seatbelt law, but no helmet law. This strikes me as typical governemtal inconsistency. If the govt wants to protect people from their own stupidity, then we need both. If not, then we need neither.
Personally, I've spent nearly 30 years in EMS. I think not wearing a seatbelt or helmet is an incredibly stupid thing to do. But if you choose not to, fine. Sign your organ donor card, have "I'm an idiot, let me die" tattooed on your forehead, and go for it. It's dawinian selction in operation.
I also think that not wearing your setbelt or helmet should mean that we don't have to fix you after you crash. You must have wanted your face smeared all over the inside of your windshield, and a steering colum to occupy part of the area formerly used by your lungs, right? So enjoy it.

Isn't that what government agencies generally do?



I've always had a problem with them pulling me over for not wearing my belt. For the most part, it's on, but I've gone without it plenty times. While I can understand some arguments for the law, I really think it's a damn good revenue builder. When you start spitting out "What ifs", there's no end in sight. "What if" they outlawed big trucks because they'll easily crush puny cars. "What if" driving with glasses is outlawed because an airbag could shatter them in your face.

I don't agree that protecting my own life should be mandated when I'm legally free to plenty of health threatening decisions, however, some of the arguments for Johnny Law's side make good sense.

Let me ask you a question Ragged, lets say you have a child and he or she is 17 or 18, already driving for a year depending on your state driving age. Would u care if she wore it or not. Would you agree if her mentality on the subject was the same as yours. I am not saying government is daddy, I am just giving an example to see what you would say. Now you can argue the fact that a year is not a lot of experience driving but then there are plenty of people who have driven for like 30 years and are just bad at it (like my mom). And then its not how good a driver he/she is but everyone else around her also. A lot of this has to do with getting the issue into the heads of kids so they learn young and stick with it for the long hall, its about saving lives. Hell when I was 16 a two hundred dollar fine looked like a 2 thousand dollar one in my head, this applies for adults also especially in hard times. Now we are not kids, well some of us are but majority not but some of us still drive like we are. In the end you can say its about this or that and money for the government but its about saving lives.

People forget that driving is a privilege, I know in some states the fine is aggressive, but damn you get a five hundred dollar ticket and you will buckle up, you get a 30 dollar ticket and you will go thought plenty of those before it gets stuck in your head.

I recently witnessed a wreck, where a van, carrying 7 people flippped over into an embankment. 2 were wearing seatbelts, the other 5 were not. Guess which ones were carried out on stretchers. . .?

Those who have wrecks w/o seatbelts typically have higher hospital bills. And for those who can't afford insurance, guess who takes the hit. . . so maybe the 500dollar fine will help cover at least some peoples stupidity.

What if in your decision to choose to go through the window you end up being thrown in front of an oncoming car and
A) someone rolls over you and ensures your death and scars that person for life
or
B) that person tries to avoid you and swerves and hits a tree and kills themselves?

That might be extreme but it's happened.

Then use the court system for retribution...as it is used every day in cases of accidents.

Let me ask you a question Ragged, lets say you have a child and he or she is 17 or 18, already driving for a year depending on your state driving age. Would u care if she wore it or not. Would you agree if her mentality on the subject was the same as yours. I am not saying government is daddy, I am just giving an example to see what you would say. Now you can argue the fact that a year is not a lot of experience driving but then there are plenty of people who have driven for like 30 years and are just bad at it (like my mom). And then its not how good a driver he/she is but everyone else around her also. A lot of this has to do with getting the issue into the heads of kids so they learn young and stick with it for the long hall, its about saving lives. Hell when I was 16 a two hundred dollar fine looked like a 2 thousand dollar one in my head, this applies for adults also especially in hard times. Now we are not kids, well some of us are but majority not but some of us still drive like we are. In the end you can say its about this or that and money for the government but its about saving lives.

People forget that driving is a privilege, I know in some states the fine is aggressive, but damn you get a five hundred dollar ticket and you will buckle up, you get a 30 dollar ticket and you will go thought plenty of those before it gets stuck in your head.

So you're saying that just because he doesn't think it's the government's job to protect us from ourselves that he doesn't care if his daughter wears her seatbelt? What the fuck kind of logic is that?

Just because the government says to do something doesn't mean that everyone automatically does it, especially when it's not the government's place to tell you whether or not to do it.

I dont understand why people dont wear their seat belt... especially for above reasons!!

:confused:

i agree:D

suicide is illegal also:confused:

Does anyone else think these are the biggest BULLSHIT tickets you can get. We are suppose to live in the land of the free, yet I can decide for myself if I want to wear a seat belt or not. I know and read all the hype on seatbelts, but still should be our choice to wear or not. To pull us over just for seatbelt is simple crazy to me.
Theres so much more I would rather my tax money be handling then hassling me about my fricken seat belt

Yeah! you tell em!
I don't wear my seatbelt! I don't buckle up my kids and I make sure that they are always standing up in the car when I drive- and I keep all the windows open in the car also- so when I get into an accident the kids will all be safely and lovingly ejected from the car and no harm what-so-ever will happen to them!


:jest:
j/k


It is just plain inbred phucking $tupid to not wear your seatbelt!

I don't wear my seatbelt, and I never will. Although I have, in my mind, a legit reason. My whole spinal column is fused with bars, screws and ground up cadaver bones. If I was to wreck bad enough with my seatbelt on to sustain any injuries I would break my bars and be paralyzed from the waist down, if not from my neck down. F*** that, I'd rather die.

i'm kinda on the fence with seatbelts...personally that is. i USUALLY wear mine, but i think it's kind of subjective sometimes. i mean really, let's not kid ourselves here. cruise nights, anyone? 2mph stop and go...nope, not wearing one there. cruising through the neighborhood, 15mph, to go to the gas station and back...not wearing it there either.

45mph on the main roads in heavy traffic with women on cell phones...you bet your ass i'm wearing mine. granted it's always best not to tempt fate and just buckle the damn thing, but i find them pretty annoying and if i don't feel like i'm in an unsafe situation, i won't wear it.

Now, maybe to "justify" my habit of not always buckling up...i HAVE seen people actually get hurt worse from the belt than the crash itself would have been without it...VERY rare cases of course, but if everyone else can play the "what if" card then so can i.

More to the point, i've owned and operated motorcycles, on and off road, since i was 10 years old. i've learned how to look 3 steps ahead and predict possible hazards and i feel like im a pretty good judge of how dangerous a given situation or environment is. Do i wear a helmet when i ride? absolutly. always have, always will. my state just recently passes into law a bill allowing you to not wear a helmet, but that is just plain stupid. Motorcycle helmets provide an AMAZING amount of protection in a crash, and since your brain is kept in your skull (at least mine is, some people keep it in the backside of their pants), i tend to protect it as much as i can. Gloves, armored jackets, jeans, good boots, etc...are all also important. to those who don't ride, when you crash a bike, the best thing for you is to slide. that's why you want thick, preferably leather clothes, to skid on. watch a MotoGP race sometime, you'll see. bikes crash at 130mph+ and the rider gets up cussing the bike and walks off.

...but i digress. Seatbelts are simple to use and should always be used, but i see both sides to the story. i don't think i should be fined for not wearing mine. if i break some other law, i'm open for a verbal scolding over a seatbelt, but not a fine. if it's my choice as a biker to not wear a helmet, then by God it's my choice not to wear a seatbelt....sometimes.