so one of the the things i have on my yahoo homepage is recent additions to snopes.com. i think barbara mikkelson does a great job busting myths in a way that says a lot about how they get propogated. also sometimes things are true.
tragically or perhaps deserving of a darwin award is the story of the guy who said the government shouldn't tell us to wear seat belts. now i am all for freedoms when they don't injure another person. but honestly i think that lack of seat belts injures other people. okay in only a kinda round about way (run over someone thrown from a vehicle, take up space in an emergency room, put rescuers at risk), but also i think that some people need people to tell them to do stuff or else they won't even think about it.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Can the Government Prevent Stupidity? Nope.
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7 comments:
heres the problem:
if you don't wear your seatbelt and you die when your car slams into mine (or vice versa) I could be charged with vehicular homicide, or what ever it is... I don't want your death, I don't want to see your death.. really, I don't. even you irrate SUV drives, I truly don't want to see you dead.
BUT, if people are really this stupid, then fine. the vehicle needs to be equiped with a seatbelt detector and if it wasnt worn then emergency vehicles will not be dispatched and we should just send the wrecker. I think this would send a much better signal. if you want to live, wear your seatbelt and we'll try and save you in the event of a crash.. if you don't want to live, don't wear your seatbelt, and we'll just send the tow truck.
there has to be a stop to assisting the public. for example railing on the top of buildings don't have razor wire on top of them to prevent people from climbing and jumping off. you can only do so much.
I do think anti road rage and reckless driving laws should be bumped up and enforced more because i'm all for people not caring about themselves but if your going to try and kill me you should lose your license today. maybe a phsych analysis should be a mandantory requirment before getting a license. if you are one that is prone to put others at undue risk you do not get the priveladge of operating any motor vehicle on public ways.
oh yeah. one more thing. I've been in 3 or 4 accidents (none my fault of course) but in one highly memorable one I was a passenger in the back of a jeep cherokee. we slammed into the back of a basically parked car at 40mph and the rear seat detached. the seat portion was still attached to the floor, but the back of the bench broken off. now i'm not sure if it would have broken my back or not had I been wearing my seatbelt but as it turned out I was just thrown into the back of the front seat and ended up upside-down on the floor. so theres a story for your nay-sayers that say not wearing your seatbelt is a good idea.
or... on the other hand I could have been thrown from the vehicle. personally when driving (and even as passenger) since I have obtained my drivers license I most always wear my seatbelt. the only exception is when I am operating or a passenger of a motorcycle, and since they don't have one I don't wear it. on the not of motercycles, i'm not sure it would really help much in the case of an accident.
I believe the foundation of our great nation (christianity) has contributed to rules, regulations, and practices that look out for people who refuse to look out for themselves. I may make the decision to drive with a seatbelt on, but that does not always mean I am alert when I drive: which is at least an equally disturbing offence. How often have I driven through the early morning?
Just wondering though... is there a possibility that the government is trying to boost sales of the seat belts? That occured to me after the government sector in charge of transport started a programme to congratulate careful, moral drivers by giving them discounts coupons from some petrol kiosks. So, could this be an act similar to those?
all cars that are sold in the us are required to have seatbelts, so it isn't a sales issue. in fact, cars in the us have been required to have them since 1968. nobody is making money off this requirement.
I see... I finally got the picture. But just wondering though, is it seatbelt for just the 2 front people (meaning the driver and front passenger) or is it compulsory for all the passengers in the car?
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