The decision to make stricter seat belt laws is something I've heard quite a bit about. This is a link to an article that talks about the state House rejecting the bill. Rep. Ed Gruchalla, D-Fargo, sponsored both bills. He said compliance with the seat belt law would go up and lives would be saved. Gruchalla also said that proposed increase in traffic fines were moderate and long overdue after several decades (Cole, 2009).
Currently officers must pull a driver over for another violation before they can write a ticket for failure to buckle up (Cole, 2009). Click it or ticket or Stay inside to survive! are two phrases you may hear in the late springtime around the area. Click it or ticket is a campaign that is used by almost every state to encourage drivers to buckle up. The campaign particularily focuses on nighttime buckling up because the nighttime crash fatality rate is about three times higher than that of the the daytime rate.
Click here to read a short article about politicians' policies on buckling up. Kind of interesting... I know we're not supposed to use Wikipedia as a source (which I hope someday will change), but it's the only detailed descrition of the campaign I could find, so feel free to read, if you'd like. And luckily, Wikipedia offered me a link to an article written by Dr. Williams in opposition to the law. The concept of his viewpoint is one that I know a lot of people like to use in arguments not just about seat belt laws. Click here to read it. His thoughts are "The point is whether government has a right to coerce us into taking care of ourselves. If eating what we wish is our business and not that of government, then why should we accept government's coercing us to wear seatbelts?" (Williams, 2003).
I've heard people say things similar to what Williams said time and time again. And I used to and still do to a point believe the way he does. There are laws that protect us from harming others, but not from harming ourselves, but did you know suicide is illegal?
I would like to hear your opinions about Click it or ticket and Dr. Williams' thoughts. Do you think the laws should be stricter? Do you oppose such campaigns. I've heard several arguments about this, both in favor and in opposition. I have no opposition to the law; I know too many people who've gotten severly injured or killed in car crashes for me to not care. On the other hand, I am against social government and I realize that people have the right as an American to choose whether they want to wear their belts or not. So, even though I don't consider this a bad law, it may just be a gateway to a seemingly increasing trend of socialism in our country.
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Your blog really hits home for me this week. As my husband is a state trooper for North Dakota. You ask if we think the laws should be stricter. I just wrote my beat article about this too! Yes, I do think the laws should be stricter. Driving in this country isn't a citizen's right. It is a privilege (defined by law). And as such I don't think people really have the right to complain about it. We support representatives to voice our opinions as majority leaders in this country. Gruchalla has some great ideas on providing a safer North Dakota. Even though we may not like it when push comes to shove. The law requiring seat belts to be mandatory should be passed. I have heard more stories about seat belts saving lives than the other way around. Studies have shown this too. I support North Dakota Fines being raised and seat belt requirements. Even though I am a troopers wife, I still slack off on driving every once in a while. It seems to me people don't care about getting a fine here in North Dakota. Mostly because they are so cheap. I think it’s time to make people care...
ReplyDeleteI have been hearing a lot about this as well. I guess I am a firm believer in wearing my seat belt. Back when I first started driving, I very rarely wore my seat belt. After a year or two of seeing a lot of serious accidents in my home town, putting on my seat belt became second nature and is something I alway do.
ReplyDeleteI have had a ticket or two (or three) from speeding, but all of them have been pretty cheap. I still am guilty of speeding. I think maybe raising the price of a no seat belt ticket might make some people at least start to entertain the idea of wearing a seat belt more often...
My husband is a former police officer who specialized in accident reconstruction. He could tell by the severity of the accident who was and was not wearing their seat belts.
ReplyDeleteHe was also involved in research studies on the benefits to a person who was wearing a seatbelt versus those who weren’t – I can’t even put in writing the horrific outcomes to those who hadn’t worn the seatbelts. Many times he would say that accident scene were so tragic. Many occasions he would tell me about the kids being thrown from the vehicle and killed due to sever impact all for the lack of a seatbelt.
For myself, I would never consider driving without a seatbelt the possibilities of what would happen in accident if I didn’t have my belt on is too costly.