State Wide Police Stings

[cheddar bob]

Wear your fucking seatbelt.

Try to make me.

[Ray1936]

I wrote the software that does that about 10 years ago when I worked at Visteon. The Escape was the first vehicle to get it. It's in all of Ford's vehicles now. There is a way to disable it. It can be disabled for just the current key on cycle or you can permanently disable it. [[The directions to disable it are in the manual. Permanently disabling it involves latching and unlatching the seat belt a bunch of times with a specific combination of key cycles.)

It's nice to be able to point to something and say I made that. [[Even if it has to be one of the most annoying features ever put on a car.)

Yeah, good job, Ndavies. And, no, I wouldn't disable it for the world. Sometimes my mind is elsewhere when I jump in the car and I appreciate the reminder.

And I'll just betcha if CheddarBob rides a motorcycle, he doesn't even own a helmet. I could tell him how a helmet saved my life at Eight Mile and Southfield in '73, but he wouldn't want to hear it.

[cheddar bob]

Nope, I don't ride a motorcycle. I don't know if I'd wear a helmet it I did, but I can appreciate states that would let me make the decision. I like Florida's way of doing it. If you have health insurance, you can ride without a helmet. I think that's a fair compromise. Maybe we could do that here with seatbelts. Think me not wearing a seatbelt affects you? STFU, I have health insurance.

[Blarf]

Let's look at this from another point of view. Say you crashed into another car and the driver was not wearing their seatbelt, and was thrown through the windshield and died. You would live with the guilt of causing a death for the rest of your life.

No I wouldn't. I would say too myself "that moron should have worn a seat belt".

[Blarf]

One of the best ways to reduce healthcare costs nationwide would be to have full participation of people on the road wearing seatbelts. The thousands of accidents and necessary medical/emergency attention added by the lack of a seatbelt equates to billions of dollars a year. In the end, these costs are funded by taxpayers, so you bet the government has a right to enforce seatbelt laws. Wear your fucking seatbelt.

So it's not really about our safety, it's about money and insurance/healthcare rates only?

That's great. Why don't they just come out and say that instead of pretending to care about our safety?

No thank you. It shouldn't be the governments job to tell us wear a seatbelt. Adults are capable of making their own decisions. Speeding is more of a danger, why don't they crack down on that instead of wasting time busting idiots who don't wear their seatbelts?

[Ltdave]

we have speed limits for our protection as well. Driving is a privilege, not a right. To be able to drive, one must follow the rules,

first, speed limits are NOT for our protection. they are a restriction on the movement of traffic, to the benefit of REVENUE generation for local communities...

secondly, youre right. DRIVING is a priviledge, TRAVELING is a RIGHT. since it is UNCONSTITUTIONAL to cause a citizen to 'pay a fee and obtain a license' in order to exercise a right, DRIVING is a right. the FEDERAL definition of DRIVING is to OPERATE a MOTOR VEHICLE upon public roadways for the manner of transporting goods or persons FOR PAY...

i seriously doubt we have more than 2% of the members here who DRIVE...

since all the way back to the days of the formation of our nation, the RIGHT to TRAVEL UNENCUMBERED, the breadth and width of our country has been the keystone of our republic...

also, in michigan you dont have a drivers license. they try to 'blind' you by calling it an OPERATORs LICENSE. what are you OPERATING? a MOTOR VEHICLE? by using any of these terms you are stepping right into their world and making yourself subject to their rules. come back to Common Law using Common Law terms and free yourself from the grasp of the government...

youll notice that the back of your Motor Vehicle Registration is NOW says you have to sign if its a COMMERCIAL vehicle. i dont own any of those so mine are signed. i own a car and three motorcycles...

if you dont live or play in their world, then their papers have no effect on you. and i know this because ive NOT been ticketed by Sheriff Deputies, State Troopers and City Police. well except in Warren where they ticket regardless of the truth or law. that requires a court visit and then an appeal. its not easy being free but its worth it in the long run. well except in Warren where when you stick their noses in it, they dont seem to get the point...

[Gistok]

When you get an auto insurance policy, they ask you if you wear your seatbelts.

Folks who answer yes, but then don't wear them, should be come ineligible for medical care covered by the insurance when they get into an accident.

As for the "damaged seatbelt" excuse for not wearing one... if your seatbelt "click-in" gets damaged, they your body has likely already sustained catastrophic injury because the "click-in's" proximity is very close to your major organs.

[Detroitej72]

Until I read this thread, I never realized seat belts were as controversial as abortion!

[cheddar bob]

When you get an auto insurance policy, they ask you if you wear your seatbelts.

Folks who answer yes, but then don't wear them, should be come ineligible for medical care covered by the insurance when they get into an accident.

Why would my medical insurance be ineligible? At work, I have to have medical insurance whether I want it or not and they have never once asked me if I wear a seatbelt.

if your seatbelt "click-in" gets damaged, they your body has likely already sustained catastrophic injury because the "click-in's" proximity is very close to your major organs.

Maybe, maybe not. That's an assumption on your part and I don't want to base the decisions in my life on Gistok's assumptions.

[Downriviera]

I don't care if people wear their seat belts or not, I just wish they'ed get off the damn cell phone. I wear my seat belt because of all the people blowing through stop signs and red lights while on the cell. I'm thinking about wearing a crash helmet, too.

[Pam]

Think me not wearing a seatbelt affects you? STFU, I have health insurance.

But we might be traumatized by seeing your corpse in the road. [[I hope you plan on using a car seat for Jr. by the way.)

[kraig]

Until I read this thread, I never realized seat belts were as controversial as abortion!

Some people are in love with the "rebel without a cause" way of thinking.

For all of you that are against wearing seatbelts, please tell the rest of us, what the benefit[[s) are of not wearing seatbelts.

[9mile&seneca]

I think people should have to wear a NASCAR approved crash helmet while operating or riding in a motor vehicle. It would make us safer. And if one were to really think about it, people shouldn't be able to ride motorcycles. I'm sure that my level of safety unbelted in my full size pickup truck in the event of a crash is much greater than a motorcyclist. So, why are motorcycles legal?

[Ray1936]

So, why are motorcycles legal?

I dunno. Why are pedestrians allowed outside the house? But I suspect you speak tongue-in-cheek, 9mile.

[cheddar bob]

please tell the rest of us, what the benefit[[s) are of not wearing seatbelts.

That's the beauty of my position...I don't have to explain or justify anything to you . It's none of your business.

So, you have health insurance? Let me guess, you have it through your employer? Do you have an agreement with your employer that they will continue to pay you for the rest of your life even if you become a brain damaged quadriplegic? If not, then at some point your care would fall to the cost of the state, so yes - your not wearing a seat belt DOES affect me.

Put down a million dollar bond and then you can not wear a seat belt, not wear a helmet, stick a fork in your electrical outlet, stand in an empty field in a thunderstorm, or do any other stupid suicidal thing you want.

That's a good point. I don't know how far the insurance would extend. While I don't have a $1 million bond, my life insurance payout is about $400,000.

How about if we make people take out a $1 million bond to eat whatever food they want? I'm guessing that people's eating habits cost us far more for their healthcare than people that don't wear seatbelts. After all, the poorest people eat the most unhealthy foods because that's what is most affordable. The poorest people are also the most likely to not have health insurance so maybe we should start legislating what people eat. It ends up costing me for all these careless people to eat bad foods.

Pam, maybe you will be traumatized by seeing a corpse. Boo hoo, get over it. And yes, Jr. will be strapped in.

[Funaho]

How about if we make people take out a $1 million bond to eat whatever food they want? I'm guessing that people's eating habits cost us far more for their healthcare than people that don't wear seatbelts. After all, the poorest people eat the most unhealthy foods because that's what is most affordable. The poorest people are also the most likely to not have health insurance so maybe we should start legislating what people eat. It ends up costing me for all these careless people to eat bad foods.

Congratulations, you just discovered one of the many reasons why health insurance reform is so important right now!

[mauser]

What a joke. Nothing but a big moneygrab.

Amen to that. An excuse for unreasonable search and seizure, so cops can shop for people to bust by prowling around and going through vehicles. All based on a law that just CANT be constitutional.

And Michigan has the highest compliance rate - something like 96% isnt it ? Yeah, well lets spend nearly a million bucks to bust the heads of those last 4%.

Then they spend a ton of our tax money showing us commercials telling us they are going to enforce this law.

Part of why it just sucks to live in Michigan.

[mauser]

we have speed limits for our protection as well.

yet the empirical evidence shows that the 85th percentile speed to be safest. simply put, if everybody around you is driving 90 mph, it is far from "safe" to try to maintain 55 mph.

[Pam]

Pam, maybe you will be traumatized by seeing a corpse. Boo hoo, get over it.

I probably won't. I'm sensitive you know.

And yes, Jr. will be strapped in.

Great, but why do you want to make him a half orphan when you are thrown from the car?

[DetroitDad]

Let's look at this from another point of view. Say you crashed into another car and the driver was not wearing their seatbelt, and was thrown through the windshield and died. You would live with the guilt of causing a death for the rest of your life.

Now, say the driver was wearing a seatbelt. More than likely, you both live another day, although you'll probably get a ticket for the accident.

Another thing to consider is that part of why we all pay high auto insurance rates, is because of the huge costs for injuries received in crashes. By wearing your belt, more often than not, your injuries are less severe. Can you imagine how high rates would be if not for seat belts?

I always hear people complaining how its an intrusion of their freedoms, but last I checked, we have speed limits for our protection as well. Driving is a privilege, not a right. To be able to drive, one must follow the rules, or suffer the consequences.

Not driving would lower it even more. so what is your point? Your car culture is Fing up my car-free lifestyle. If you drive or let your kids drive and something happens, you should feel guilty, and should also feel angry that society has chosen to make it almost mandatory that you strap yourself to a speeding missile to get yourself a Big Mack or deposit money into an ATM.

Yes, lets give up more rights for destructive happy motoring.

[misstjohn1]

I think people should have to wear a NASCAR approved crash helmet while operating or riding in a motor vehicle. It would make us safer. And if one were to really think about it, people shouldn't be able to ride motorcycles. I'm sure that my level of safety unbelted in my full size pickup truck in the event of a crash is much greater than a motorcyclist. So, why are motorcycles legal?

That is to damn funny.

[stnfrnt]

Does anybody really believe any insurance company is going to lower your rates if there are fewer deaths/injuries because everybody buckles up?

[Detroitej72]

Does anybody really believe any insurance company is going to lower your rates if there are fewer deaths/injuries because everybody buckles up?

No. They will still find an excuse to raise rates, much the same as oil companies always find a reason to justify their price increases. They are just taking advantage of capitalism.

[Detroitej72]

Not driving would lower it even more. so what is your point? Your car culture is Fing up my car-free lifestyle. If you drive or let your kids drive and something happens, you should feel guilty, and should also feel angry that society has chosen to make it almost mandatory that you strap yourself to a speeding missile to get yourself a Big Mack or deposit money into an ATM.

Yes, lets give up more rights for destructive happy motoring.

The point is, cars are here to stay and you can't do anything about it. As such, there will be laws to follow and all your crying wont change that.

You have two choices: buckle up or pay up. Its that simple.