The ultimate PSA
 

If this doesn't move/motivate you, nothing will

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what the hell was that?

Touching, and makes sense. In Iowa, seat belts are mandatory. I don't agree with this because it's just another form of gov't control. I figure only laws that protect other people should be enforced, If someone wants to take a chance and kill themselves, that's their business.

my dad has been a paramedic for bout 15 years now and he knows just how important seat belts are. he is also into government conspiracy and even he agrees that the seat belt laws are a good idea and not just some way for the government to control us even further. he has seen so many people who have died that would still be alive today if they had just worn their seat belts. he even took pics with his iphone of a mother and child who weren't buckled up and they had died also on impact and their faces were smashed completely against the wind shield and it was just gruesome. i ALWAYS buckle up.

Ironic as I just came back from Las Vegas earlier today and I saw a couple of crashes in my 4 days in that town. No wonder you've freaking got billboards for accident lawyers all over the damn place, you people drive like maniacs.

Don't get me wrong; I think it's a great idea and don't think it's a gov't "conspiracy", but the choice should be left to the individual. Like I said, I am only in favor of laws that protect others. Perfect example: Murder is a crime (as it should be), and so is attempted suicide (WTF?).

ok, you have a point. attempted suicide being against the law is farking ridiculous. is it their way of motivating people to succeed in killing themselves, because if they back out, they could face charges?

the seatbelt laws make sense though and they DO protect others. how would you like to get a call saying that your father and/or mother, daughter, son, brother, etc. died in a car accident and then found out later on that they could have lived if they had their seatbelt on?

just my $.02

I don't understand people who don't put seatbelts on. Has to be one of the dumbest things you can do.

I'm, always fighting with my brother about it. My cousin got into a car wreck on a back country dirt road, where he missed a turn, and his T-top camaro went straight into a ditch and flipped. He got flung out the top, but the car flipped and landed on the roof behind him. My brother has since decided its better to be ejected. :facepalm:
Some people like to be contrarian to the point of absurdity.

People who don't buckle their kids in are even worse. Its one thing to foolishly risk your life, but the life of a kids is horrible.

@BG: What about the rights of the people who have to scrape you off the pavement after you exercise your rights to be reckless? ;)

That's their job. :tongue: As far as I'm concerned, just pour some gas on my remains and light 'er up.

Ack no, they prolly have to hook up a fan to blow all the nasty fumes away. Surely they could just bring in something more fitting... maybe a large capacitor array and just zap you into plasma. Hell, maybe we'll box up the some of the ashes and sent it to castle and claim warr repair on a dead mamba.
"IDK what happened, I had the gearing what the manual said to, plugged in a 4S maxamps batt, and it just went poof. I have no idea what happened.....":lol:

I'm not against seatbelt or helmet laws, hell I want a 5 point harness for my daily driver. But I do agree with BrianG about some things being ridiculous and shoved down our throats. The reason we have them is not for families sake though, its for the insurance companies. Sates with tougher laws regarding seatbelts, helmets, dwi, etc get a better rating from insurance companies, and usually better rates on some parts of their policy. Insurance companies also lobby for these laws to reduce injury and the amount of money they have to pay out for those injuries.

Hmmm.. that's prolly true. On the upside, it should mean better rates in states w/ competitive markets

lol, I have a feeling my ash pile would be substantially larger than that of a burnt MMM.

Eww! No fans! Does my avatar mean nothing? :smile: I'm thinking something along the lines of the Monsters Inc movie where the monster comes out of the door with a sock on its back and they pluck it off, throw it on the floor, screw a dome over it, and explode the inside. :smile:

You have obviously never driven on the East Coast.

lmao. I think insurance companies probably have something to do with it too though.

I've heard horror stories from my brother, whom is taking Med School over in West Virginia.
Of their driving

I agree that the government should just leave things up to the person.

Drugs - if the person is stupid enough that he wants to drugs, fine. Just tax the drugs like crazy and tax our income less.

Seatbelts, I disagree. the reason being is that without a seatbelt they can turn into a projectile that can be lethal to people other than the one not wearing his seatbelt.

I heard of an instance where someone in the back seat was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown forward and went over the chair of the person in front of him (who was wearing their seatbelt) and broke the neck of that person. (I'm unsure weather the person who wasn't wearing his seatlbelt lived or not).

I think some laws need to be taken with a grain of salt. I believe it is illegal to drive barefoot wear I live, but i drive barefoot nearly every single day. The reason is I generally wear flip-flops. And by flip flops I mean I have a strap over the top of my foot near my toes, and that's it - the back is unsecured. If I were to keep them on when driving, the back would catch all the time and keep the throttle/brake/clutch down and I would lose my ability to react quickly. Because of this, I always slip them off when I drive.

Being a firefighter has allowed me to see both sides of the story. From past history of the calls I've worked, I would split it down the middle where seat belts killed people and where not wearing the seat belt killed people. Its rather shocking to know that sometimes its better to be thrown around inside your vehicle, or be ejected, rather than be strapped down to the seat.

I know the safety commission and insurance companies do their testing with controlled environments and dummy vehicle. But how many of them take data from actual crashes and analyze the situation.

Or how many of these studied are tainted by paid indivuals or higher authorities to scare us into oblivion some more.

I personally don't wear my seat belt, have received numerous citations for it($25 each), and I still won't wear it. I catch shit from the family and girlfriend all the time. I tell them I'm working on the studies. That if we are to get in a crash, if the seat belts helps or hinders... Needless to say, they don't like that... :lol:

I agree with many.

Ignorance is not something that should be regulated by the goverment. I guess they want to keep everyone alive as long as possible so they can TAX us to death.

It falls back onto what I have heard my father say many times. "If you are gonna be stupid, you better be tough".

Exactly how I think about it. Don't have to add something.

EDIT: I wear them tough, just because it will cost me $30 - or something like that - if I don't.
My dad doesn't wear them since 15 years, never got a citation strange enough. (Well, yes, once, but that little machine they had didn't work so he didn't have to pay)

+1 For less government control. You can't legislate nor fix stupid :rules:

after my head knocked out the windshield of my Nissan when i totaled it, and i was knocked out for 45 minutes i started wearing my seatbelt. the damn airbag didnt go off until my head was in the windshield which did nothing but hit me in throat.

Seat belts should be compulsory. Just like having heavy objects unrestrained in the cabin is stupid. There are many accidents where seat belts have killed people but would the person really have survived if they were unrestrained. I know of one accident where a driver was unrestrained and that was the only reason he survived. I've seen far cars with fairly minor front end damage and a nice big head print in the front windscreen. Thank fully that doesn't happen that often here as seat belts have been compulsory for a long time.

Compulsory seat belts force parents to strap in their kids as well. Kids don't pay attention to the road and whats happening and even a small impact that the driver can brace themselves for will send a child with no steering wheel to hold on to flying.

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Is that really true? I drive every morning without shoes 'cuz I too wear flipflops... (to practice) Not to mention my Audi's clutch has no feel and without shoes it's easier to control the engagement point.

IMO seatbelts are a good idea. When I was growing up my mom wouldn't drive the car until my sister and I had our seatbelts on. Strapping in and unstrapping are always the first/last things I do when entering/leaving a car.

Not trying to start anything, but I find this kind of hard to believe. Let me clarify, I find the 50/50 part hard to believe. Mostly because the only accidents I can see it possibly being better to not be buckled in are rollovers. And even then you'd only want to be ejected if the roof was going to end up being completely flattened. Because any frontal collision, I'll take the crappy 3 point belt over kissing the windshield or steering wheel anyday. And yes 3 point belts are crappy, they should be 4 point with racing style adjusters instead of the self-retracting setup used now.

I remember over 20 years ago that driving in NC with bare feet to be illegal. Ran out to get a pizza real quick for the rent's one night, got pulled over, and was doing all I could to keep my 11.5's tucked under the front seat.

I'm not sure what it is a result of, but I feel weird if I'm in a car without a seatbelt on. I guess after so long I feel the need to have that belt across my waist and chest when I'm in a moving vehicle.


After doing some research, it seem that I was incorrect - it is indeed legal to drive barefoot. I was told by someone about 5 years ago that driving barefoot was illegal, but I didn't pay much attention to that anyway. :neutral:

On average, I think it's much better to wear your seatbelt. Although, I agree that these stupid 3 point belts are not very good at all, they do allow alot more flexibility in the car (or am I wrong on this assumption?).

Anyways, I say it is ridiculous for it to be law to wear one, especially when you are alone in the car. The only reason why it is illegal is just another control tactic by government and insurance companies.

I am sure the amount of circumstances that no belt has been more fatal than not wearing one is the same to that of the amount of accidents caused by the cops chasing after a vehicle that refuses to pull over, especially when they are speeding... JUST LET THEM GO! He will most likely slow down later down the road, instead the cops have a power trip and put everyone's life in danger.

That I disagree with, cause usually the people who run are running not because they don't want a ticket, but because they are wanted for a crime far far worse.

I really don't understand the insurance company angle. If that were so, why isn't smoking and drinking banned? Smoking causes cancer, drinking causes liver damage; both of which result in potentially huge medical/life insurance claims. I just can't help wondering when will the control stop?

Here is something I believe is way more of a problem- I see people texting and almost want them to end up like this- extremely graphic...

http://jalopnik.com/5342582/british-...+texting-video

I believe the times are getting ripe for another tea party :whistle:

Smokers do pay more for health ins, as they have more med probs and drive up costs for everyone else.

So my ? to those that resent the mandates, would you then agree to be responsible for any additional medical costs for an easily preventible injuries due to not wearing a seatbelt?

Do you agree that increased responsibility comes with the increased freedom?

Yeah, but still it doesn't matter, it's completely unnecessary. The more control you push at people, the more they push back, and people eventually get tired of it and maybe come to a braking point.

Doesn't everybody have a very thorough paper examination for 'previous' illnesses, or if you are predisposed to illness, or anything thing that will make them want to say no, they will say no thanks.... well fuck you very much. The same applies to this, "If we don't believe in freedom of speech (health insurance) for the people we despise (think 'might' get ill), then we don't believe in freedom (health care) at all". So if they say wearing your seatbelt is mandatory, then if you are hurt, and you weren't wearing it, then perhaps you are not covered, or maybe not completely?

Redshift, I've seen that video, pretty graphic, looks quite real.


BTW, did you guys know that making it illegal to cell/text and drive has not done anything to accident rates? Why? People don't want to give it up, mostly young crowd. I for one think everyone should SHUT THE PHONE UP when driving, I don't want to be hit by someone who strays off into my lane because they were 'distracted'.

That sounds reasonable. Put the onus of responsibility on the individual instead of the gov't deciding what is good for us. However, even if ins companies do that, do you really believe that rates will go down for the non-risk people? But I'll go for that plan, if for no reason other than to prove that they won't.

But that opens a whole other can of worms. If there's an accident and someone dies who wasn't wearing a belt, then the assumption will be made that it unequivically would not have been fatal if they were wearing the belt. It's whatever is convenient ins companies' coffers.

Kinda like if a smoker is diagnosed with lung cancer, the doctors automatically assume it was because of smoking. But who is to say that person wouldn't have gotten it even if they didn't smoke? There are loads of people who smoke like chimneys and never have problems; while others never take a drag and get cancer. I'm not saying it's not a contributing factor, or doesn't increase the risk, but you get my point.

Hell, why stop there? Why doesn't the gov't ban fast food? It leads to harmful obesity. Why not ban certain food additives/ingredients? Because you know that some California lab has determined it causes cancer in ring-tailed Lemurs. And while we're on a roll, let's ban forks, knives, guns, all land and air travel, electricity, water, and any device using radio waves. Because we know those things can be dangerous.

I have a better idea; let's just stop thinking for ourselves at all, and let Uncle Sam do it for us. Just go about life with a blank smile, pay the required 100% tax rate, and not worry about a thing.

Ok, maybe all that was a "bit" extreme, but you get my drift. But I'm tired and cranky. :na:

Seatbelts. It's plausible to me that being forced to wear one may in fact be a way of protecting others...if you're a parent & it saves your life I'd argue that it benefits your child? Guess it depends how you consider the benefits

Also the pro/con of being safer...why do race car driver wear them? I know they're usually wearing 5 point but many a driver died a gruesome death without them & I don't see any governing body advising drivers against wearing them. Personally, I can't think of many scenarios where getting ejected is better than being inside a safety cell designed to protect you

Come on down John Savage!

Extreme in todays world but I'd be surprised if elements of that don't become reality. Rapidly aging populations will exert extreme pressure on medical services & some form of selection criteria will need to be applied when dispensing certain treatments...it's happening already, if you have a bad heart for example, your age, your lifestyle etc will determine your eligibility to even join a transplant waiting list

New York has banned trans fats! Good point where will it stop!

NY also wants to tax soda, hoping to help curb obesity by making it more expensive. I want to know who's dumb enough not to see it's just an excuse for another tax. They do the same with cigarettes + alcohol. Oh yea, and there's people who want more warning labels on hot dogs or for them to be redesigned. Because it's the most common food kids choke on.