Wearign Seat BeltsEssay title: Wearign Seat BeltsWEARING SEATBELTSWe have all heard the excuses before, “Its uncomfortable, Im only going around the corner”, Id rather be thrown out of a car than be stuck in a seatbelt,” and my favorite, “Im a good driver I dont need to wear one.” Well you may be a good driver but there are situations beyond your control such as bad weather, road conditions and not to mention other drivers that can affect your safety. Seat belts can mean the difference between life and death in an auto accident. Wearing a seat belt every time you enter a vehicle is not only the smart thing to do it is the right thing because it saves lives, its the law and it will save you money.
Car accidents are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 35. Wearing a seat belt can prevent death in about half of these accidents. Did you know that every 15 seconds someone is injured in an automobile accident if they are not buckled up, or that every 13 minutes someone is killed in a crash. Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety related behavior. According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration seatbelts saved nearly 12,000 lives in the United States in the year 2000. The NHTSA estimates that more than 9,000 U.S. car accident fatalities in 2000 would have been avoided if the victims had been wearing seatbelts. Sixty three percent of the people killed in accidents were not wearing seat belts. The NHTSA also stated that seatbelts reduce the risk of death for a front seat car occupant by about forty five percent. For the people who use the excuse that “They are just going around the corner” should realize that 80% of traffic fatalities occur within a 25-mile radius of your home and at a speed of 40 miles an hour. Buckling up to drive around the block is probably the best time to do so. Everyone knows that car crashes can cause death; yet because people do not buckle up all the time thousands of people still die in traffic crashes yearly. Seatbelts can save your life in a crash and can reduce your risk of a serious injury. Seat belts keep drivers and passengers from being ejected through windows or doors. This is important because your chances of being killed are five times greater if you are thrown from the vehicle. Thousands of people who die in car crashes each year might still be alive today if they had only been wearing their seat belts.
Wearing a seat belt isnt just a good idea; its the law and many states conduct heightened enforcement of their seat belt laws. Forty-nine states, all except New Hampshire have mandatory safety belt laws. In most states, these laws cover front seat occupants only, although belt laws in 16 jurisdictions including New York cover all rear seat occupants also. New York is one of 19 jurisdictions where belt use laws are standard, or primary, meaning police may stop vehicles solely for belt law violations. In 17 states including New York the safety belt defense is allowed, meaning damages collected by someone in a crash may be reduced for failure to use a belt. The reduction is permitted only for injuries caused by nonuse belts. All 50 states and the District of Columbia have child restraint laws. Child restraint
The safety belt law is used to keep all American children home safe, but is not mandatory. As in most democracies, it can be removed without a judicial act, but that will not eliminate it. All states and many municipalities have laws that protect children in a vehicle, but it is still generally a constitutional question whether one is wearing a seat belt or not. States may also prohibit or exempt passenger and bystander from a seat belt law (e.g., in New York, the seat belt law, “Stand Your Ground Law” [S.F.R. § 14-4 (1979)] and in Washington, D.C., the “Stand Your Ground Law” [S.F.R. [1993] v. United States (1994))); or it may be enforced at a rate that is too light for the driver and the passenger to maintain their balance. States are not required to pay any costs resulting from any change in a law. New York’s policy, for instance, “can be enforced with no additional time cost (e.g., $1); however, any law requiring additional time will cost New Yorkers between $1 and $4 over the course of a 4-month period.” See New York City’s Child Safety Awareness, S.F.R., http://www.nyc.gov/pub/pubdiary/hcs.htm, pp. 14-22.
What they are
http://www.nyc.gov/documentation/children-tickets/schildsafety.html
The primary question is, do some and some small states require a child to wear seat belts because the parent is the person who has to report an encounter. Most states that don’t require safety belts for children are located in areas where it is required in certain circumstances. Some states have laws that require children to use seat belts at a public event or a police officer or court. New York and other states prohibit them. [Federal Law]
To keep children protected in this country, laws must protect you and your family and your loved ones. The government has made sure it has this message every time the government releases new information. It does this through the following statutory procedures:
Children attending public events are entitled to reasonable protection in regard to the child’s safety and is also entitled to the freedom to know who is in their presence.
It is important to add, that the safety of children depends on whether these same children are wearing a seat belt. Children who are wearing seat belts with a harness are at greater risk of being struck by lightning. It is necessary to consider that children may be at increased risk of injury from being struck by lightning. Children under 16 are protected from that potential danger even if they are wearing seat belts. It also is important to ensure that children who are under the age of two attend the safe place at which children get their exercise, as well as