Police chief is convincing about wearing seatbelts
I had reservations about the new Minnesota seatbelt law, until I talked to my local Police Chief Jeff Beahen.
Personally I find it a nuisance to buckle up, and the other day I almost hit a car when I tried to fasten my seatbelt, as I saw a police car approaching.
Then, there’s the whole argument about my right to drive without the government telling me to buckle up or it will cost me $25.
Chief Beahen says flatly most drivers in 300 crashes a year in my city of Elk River would not have been injured if they had been wearing their belts.
But here’s the clinching argument. Of the eight local fatalities in the last few years, seven of eight would be alive today if they had been belted, says the chief.
It’s hard to argue that saving lives of the unbelted, their passengers and the passengers in the car they hit isn’t worth the new seat belt law.
Now the cynics can argue that the legislators passed the law to grab $3.4 million in federal funds for the 2010 fiscal year, considering the tight money in the state.
I find that hard to believe when you look at the data.
The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says of the 325 fatal auto crashes in 2008, 178 involved unbelted drivers and passengers.
The Center for Excellence in Rural Safety figures 40 lives in Minnesota will be saved a year now that the new seat belt law is being enforced.
We’re told that the law particularly will get young people to buckle up. They cause a lot of accidents. Of 48 fatal automobile crashes involving people between 18 and 22 last year, more than half were unbelted.
Beahen says since June 9, he’s found that middle to older age drivers have been ticketed for not wearing a seat belt.
Under this new law, officers can pull you over if they are confident you aren’t wearing your seatbelt – even if they see you frantically trying to fasten your belt. The officer can also fine you $25 for everyone in the car not belted.
Once the officer stops you, he can check you for other violations. Elk River police stopped two cars and arrested the drivers driving while intoxicated.
Still, you wonder if government should stay out of your car? Let me drive my way and suffer the consequences.
Well Beahen says that an unbelted driver can be thrown against the windshield, sending the car out of control endangering the lives in the car. That uncontrolled car can crash into another car causing more injuries and pain. It can affect the medical costs, the insurance rates and on and on.
The argument is on the side of the new seatbelt law. Maybe I’ll write my editorial on this for next week.
What do you think?
Yes, they passed it in large part because of the money – just like .08 . That’s not the Cynic in me, it’s the realist. I would bet a lot of money if you watch the legislative debate, it came up as one of the big reasons to vote yes.
No, the risk of “losing control” and hurting an innocent bystander because you don’t have a seatbelt on is not legitimate. If that was legitimate we’d outlaw all kinds of things (e.g. eating while driving because your hands are not immediately free for quick reaction and you could lose control; etc.) Nobody can cite a case where this has actually happened, where an innocent bystander was hurt because someone wasn’t belted and lost control as a result. The reason is, it’s a one-in-a-billion scenario. If you are being thrown around inside the car it’s because YOU ARE ALREADY IN A SIGNIFICANT ACCIDENT – you are not going to regain control of the vehicle at that point, belted or not!
As for insurance, social costs, etc. you REALLY don’t want to utilize that argument if you value individual freedom and Liberty. Much more impact on insurance and other social costs is inflicted by lifestyle choices that we could outlaw/regulate under this logic: no more high fat meals at restaurants or Cheetos and Twinkies from SA(unless you can show the government approval card with your cholesterol and BP in range – just like showing age ID to buy beer), no hard liquor, daily mandated PE sessions before work (or your employer pays a fine), etc., etc. – this could all be legislated using the same logic of saving many lives and reducing societal costs.
I admit the state has every right to mandate seatbelt use, but that does not mean it’s right for the state to do it.