'04 Prius involved in fatal accident

You're preaching to the choir. It's her, not me, avoiding the belt.

 

Yet most people evaluate the space and comfort inside the car.

 

starla:

i did read your post so i realize that you are still belted. my comment was directed towards anyone in this forum that is considering following the habits of your friend.

100% is a concept that is imho unattainable. there will always be exceptions.

 

I have mixed feelings about the whole seat belt thing. I wear mine religiously and have done so since I was 8 years old and was involved in an accident where my face hit the dashboard. I don't, however, believe that seat belts should be mandatory for adult drivers. IMO, laws should only apply to actions that hurt others, not actions that hurt yourself. I do think, however, that parents should be forced to make their kids wear seat belts, since the kids don't really have the wisdom or experience to make that decision.

 

True to an extent. If you aren't wearing your seatbelt and have your face scraped off on the pavement but survive (This is NOT theoretical, I know someone who went through this), the medical bills are horrendous. Everyone's insurance rates are based upon everyone's actions and one's misdeed does hurt someone else.

 

I don't think so. To the best of my knowledge, though seatbelts are required in Vermont, they can only pull you over if there is another violation. I thought it was stupid when they put in the mandatory sealt belt law to explicitly give this exclusion.

 

Virginia is the same way.

There is a law in VA that specifically says you can NOT be pulled over just for a seat belt violation. If they pull you over for another violation they can ticket you for no seat belt.

A number of other states are the same.

If they can pull you over for seatbelts, it is called a "Primary" seat belt law (AKA "Standard Enforcement Law"). If they cannot pull you over just for seatbelts, but can ticket you if they pull you over for something else it is a "Secondary" seat belt law.

As I recall there was an effort to tie Federal Highway Funds to Seat Belt Laws, but I think it failed.


http://www.edgarsnyder.com/news/seat_belts.html

 

Well not quite accurate. For example, Massachusetts has secondary enforcement seatbelt law, meaning that you must first be stopped for some other violation and if you aren't wearing your seatbelt, you get two violations.

New Hampshire only requires seatbelts for those under the age of 18 to be belted in. Adults are free to commit atrocious acts upon themselves.

 

As someone who works for a police dept, I can state that if an officer wants to pull you over they can always find a reason......not signalling far enough in advance of a turn or lane change,etc.

I have seen an accident caused by a person not wearing a belt because they hit a curb at speed and were thrown from behind the wheel and lost control. The car then went over the curb and severely injured 2 people. Sorry, but I believe the seatbelt law protects everyone. Even those who think it is their "right" not to wear one. The chances of dying because you wear a seatbelt are incredibly small compared to your chances with a belt. And yes, there will always be an exception.....get over it.

 

Sorry, I guess I was wrong about the ad I saw - I guess there's just mobilization times throughout the year, and since we're coming up on Memorial Day, it's a good time for it.

http://wlaj.freedombroadcasting.net/engine...akoutnews.shtml

However, the ad I saw was quite misleading then - it implied that regardless of the state, regardless of other things you are or aren't doing, if you're not wearing your seatbelt you get a ticket. I'm fine for this type of law because, well, we *are* stupid Americans who sometimes do need to be told what to do. If only for insurance and the saftey of everyone, not just personal saftey, it should be done. But, I think it's quite obvious we all agree on them being used, it's just making sure everyone goes through the practice and steps of the procedure to protect yourself regardless of your driving situation.

-m.

 

I think the point was that the Semi turned the Prius into a subcompact. :?

 

This is a very sad story, or at least unfortunate for a variety of reasons. I would like to also note that for being hit by an 18 wheeler, that little car looks a lot better than it could have. The fact that all four occupants didn't die on impact is impressive enough.

Did anyone else feel ashamed for immediately losing focus on the big picture and blurting out "What? Subcompact??" I did.

 

well then you can speak for your state, and you are working from memory, i however can say with 100% conviction that in the state of Washington, you can be pulled over and ticketed for not wearing your seat belt at any time. also the ticket goes to the person not wearing the seat belt and not the driver.

 

Here in Texas, one can be stopped and ticketed for no seatbelt and the minimum fine is one of the higher penalties out there. The mandatory seatbelt law was pushed through by the insurance industry and without it I would probably not wear one. I realize that is stupid and short sighted but the reality is that I buckle up after paying one of those expensive tickets back in the day of using them about half the time. Also from personal experience, it is amazing how hard you can hit the windsheild in a 15 mph accident. Having admitted all that, I will also say that I always buckle up in the prius while waiting for the ready light and it is the easiest vehicle I have had for buckling up in.

Hey Evan, what about motorcycle helmets. I have a collection of badly damaged helmets.

Ray

 

hmmm i dont even know if its being contested.
i think its a good idea to wear a seat belt and by not wearing one, a person in an accident is not only hurting themselves but every insured driver on the road through higher medical bills.

besides, i would rather see people ticketed for reading the paper, putting on makeup, etc. first.

 

The truth that needs to be more widely known, especially by law enforcement - enforce a law strictly enough and with high enough fines, and people will follow it. Drive through a school zone in Las Vegas and go 10 miles over the speedlimit - I promise you it'll be the last time you do so. Of course, then comes into play all the problems with babysitting traffic while "real" crimes go on elsewhere, etc.

-m.

 

Well, they can't pull you over for no reason at all, but if they see from a distance that you're not wearing your seatbelt, and there's a law that says you have to wear your seatbelt, how is that an unreasonable search?

The officer would have visual indication, through clear glass windows that give no expectation of privacy, that you were breaking the law.