Why seatbelts are a good thing
Okay, we all know that seatbelts save lives. It's nothing new. If they did nothing, racing drivers would wear them, and there wouldn't be mountains of research out there proving their effectiveness. Yet, there are those out there that just refuse to wear them, despite whatever laws may be in place. Such is the story of one anti-seatbelt law advocate, who in September 2004 wrote an article for the Daily Nebraskan arguing against mandatory seatbelt laws. His argument was that the government should not regulate every facet of life, no matter the consequences, which I think a lot of people would agree with. However, when there is that whole lot of evidence, laws or not, I'm just thinking it might be a good idea to go ahead and wear that seatbelt. Anyway, now comes the ironic part. The author of that article, a 21 year-old Derek Kieper, was killed on earlier this month in a traffic accident in which he was thrown from the vehicle. Exactly the type of accident that a seatbelt prevents. Sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
david glenn 11:02PM (12/18/2005)
Well, evolution or something...
Seatbelts should be mandatory everywhere cars are driven. Unfortunately they have been sold wrong, they aren't really for your safety (that's just a side benefit) but for the safety of everyone else on the road. This is because they do one -majorly- important thing: keep the driver firmly planted where he can do the most good in any situation, behind the wheel.
~dave
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cdog 11:02PM (12/18/2005)
One for the Darwin awards.
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David Thomas 11:02PM (12/18/2005)
I wonder if Piotr Pac was involved in that accident?
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Glenn Laycock 11:02PM (12/18/2005)
Seatbelts are only one safety feature on a vehicle, there are lots of others. There are also tons of laws (that certainly infringe on our personal rights I suppose) that we must follow in order to be allowed the luxury and responsibility of driving a vehicle (or even being in one).
The problem with people who do not wear seatbelts is that if effects the safety of that vehicle AND EVERYONE ELSES SAFETY in order to accommadate these self important people. An example of this is the very expensive airbags in cars that need to determine if the person is, or is not, wearing a seatbelt so that it does not un-neededly use too much power and injure the belted person (airbags need to be much faster and more powerful for unbelted people). There have been countless injuries (and lawsuits over the injuries over-powered airbags caused early on).
Safety is a package. One feature often is effected by another -- cause and effect during designing -- basically the less variables, the easier (less costly) and more reliable a "system" will be. The seatbelt basically controls the positioning of the occupants; and allows them to design the rest of the safety around that.
In a perfect world, those who "opt" out of this mass produced safety package; could spend lots of extra money for a specially taylored system. Of course the cost would be so enormous for a low volume system that these self centred people would loose the luxury of a personal transporation. I say so be it .. either use the system that is created at a good price; or ride the bus or taxi. Either that, or put out the cash (millions I would think) for a custom system. The end result would be less expensive and less complex (more reliable) safety features in cars.
Most of the world considers driving a luxury and responsibility. Virturally every car sold in Canada has features that were specifically design to non-belted Americans. These features serve no purpose, and actually reduce the effectiveness of that safety package, for people who wear belts. And they cost money and annoyance ... off the top of my head, the sensor to confirm the belt is in use, over-powered bags of the past, and now sensors to tell if the belt is in use (and not being cheated), dashed designed to withstand the impact of an unbelted person, windshields, etc.
Anyway, use the seatbelt or "get out of the kitchen" is my view.
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KnightsKnives 11:02PM (12/18/2005)
I find that the safety of those who have no say in such matters, as that applies to children, is a fair, reasonable, and also a great thing to do.
However, I believe we are pushing the safety thing too far. We have to wear seatbelts as adults. This is a law. Pretty soon we will have to wear teeth protectors in case of an accident in a car. The list goes on.
Should we suspend all activities that are too dangerous. No airplanes taking off without training wheels?
It should be left for us to decide whether we are going to take a risk or not. If we are hurting ourselves and not others, there should be no jurisdiction. Can you not rely upon your God to protect you, or has this country turned its back against God and is now trying to build the tower of Bable, thinking that we can control death and dismemberment. Just at the tower of Bable we thought we could reach heaven because we have outwitted God.
To further this, those that believe that it is good for all of the drivers on the road, it is we inventors that allowed you that personal luxury as you so called it, which it is not. For most of us it is a necessity.
Me flying out of the car could happen but that is not what happens in the majority of injuries related to people who do not wear their seatbelts.
If driving is a responsibility then quit. You are adding a lot of money to the coffers of those whom we are war with. Take that responsibility seriously and start using a bike. The longer you use gas to support your lifestyle, the longer we will be at war.
We have a larger consideration here. If everyone quit using cars and started using alternative methods we would be a much better world.
I am not one who believes in a perfect world. I am one that advocates those who define their lives as something that is beyond Gods reach are those whose ignorance will kill them despite the seatbelt.
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KnightsKnives 11:02PM (12/18/2005)
I find that the safety of those who have no say in such matters, as that applies to children, is a fair, reasonable, and also a great thing to do.
However, I believe we are pushing the safety thing too far. We have to wear seatbelts as adults. This is a law. Pretty soon we will have to wear teeth protectors in case of an accident in a car. The list goes on.
Should we suspend all activities that are too dangerous. No airplanes taking off without training wheels?
It should be left for us to decide whether we are going to take a risk or not. If we are hurting ourselves and not others, there should be no jurisdiction. Can you not rely upon your God to protect you, or has this country turned its back against God and is now trying to build the tower of Bable, thinking that we can control death and dismemberment. Just at the tower of Bable we thought we could reach heaven because we have outwitted God.
To further this, those that believe that it is good for all of the drivers on the road, it is we inventors that allowed you that personal luxury as you so called it, which it is not. For most of us it is a necessity.
Me flying out of the car could happen but that is not what happens in the majority of injuries related to people who do not wear their seatbelts.
If driving is a responsibility then quit. You are adding a lot of money to the coffers of those whom we are war with. Take that responsibility seriously and start using a bike. The longer you use gas to support your lifestyle, the longer we will be at war.
We have a larger consideration here. If everyone quit using cars and started using alternative methods we would be a much better world.
I am not one who believes in a perfect world. I am one that advocates those who define their lives as something that is beyond Gods reach are those whose ignorance will kill them despite the seatbelt.
Reply