Seat Belt Law Research Paper
Seat Belt Law
Timothy J. Mann
Ashford University
ENG 325
5-03-2014
Today in society it seems our government is taking away more and more of our rights. A law that I would like to discuss is the seat belt law. “New York was the first state to pass a law which required vehicle occupants to wear seat belts, a law that came into effect on Dec 1, 1984.”
Where I live here in Indiana, they passed their first seat belt law on July 1, 1987. If you were pulled over in Indiana after July 1, 1987 and you were not wearing your seat belt, and over the age of 16, you would receive a $25 fine. This law makes no sense to me. What about all the children that are 16 years of age and under? Why would …show more content…
our government include anyone 16 years of age and older in this law, but not include children under the age of 16?
When they first passed this law it excluded anyone riding in a truck or a SUV titled as a truck. On Dec 29, 2008 Indiana passed a law stating that all people whether in a car or truck, must wear a seat belt, and any child under the age of 8 years old must be restrained in a car seat. “Indiana law also makes it illegal to ride in the bed of a pickup truck or to have more occupants in a vehicle than there are seat belts.”
Officials say that the passing of this law, and the use of click it or ticket has increased the use of seat belts in Indiana. There are of course a few exceptions to this law. Persons working on a farm, driving a farm truck, delivery drivers, people riding in the back of an recreational vehicle, or ambulance, people riding in a public utility emergency and occupants other than the operator of a garbage truck, tow truck, or a truck on a construction site, and those who have a doctors excuse exempting them from the law.
The child restraint law was padded in Indiana in July 1, 2005. “Indiana’s new seat belt, and child restraint law took effect July1, 2005.” Infants until they are at least 1 year of age should be placed in a rear facing car seat in the back seat of a car. It’s safer to put their car seat in the back seats, because of the danger of the air bag.
In Indiana the child restraint law does not apply to religious or youth vehicles that seat at least 10 occupants, school buses, antique cars, taxi cabs, ambulances, law enforcement vehicles, motorcycles, and funeral vehicles.
These exceptions make no sense to me. If our government is concerned about the safety of our children then they should not be allowed in these vehicles. What person in their right mind thinks it’s safe for a child to be on a motorcycle? Should any child under the age of 16 be allowed on any type of recreational vehicle or motorcycle? I know from my own experience too many children that have been seriously injured on these types of vehicles, and adults that have lost their lives.
I am currently a Title one instructor at Sullivan Elementary, and during the school year I ride on the school bus as an aide. They are currently trying to pass a law that states all children on a school bus must wear a seat belt. This is going to cost the school corporations thousands of more dollars a year to pay all of the aides it will take to monitor every school bus. We currently have teaching staff that has been without a raise in 10 years. This law will cost us more cuts in our schools, and who are those cuts going to affect? The students or the staff? So should
the
government be able to continue telling us what we should do to keep us safe? These are questions that constantly go thru my mind every time I hear a new law concerning seat belts.
Seatbelts are estimated to save 9,500 lives in our country every year. Seatbelts that have the lap and shoulder strap reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent and the risk of moderate injury by 50 percent. “Every 14 seconds someone in America is injured in a traffic crash and every 12 minutes someone is killed.” People involved in an automobile crash who aren’t in a seat belt slam into the steering wheel and go through the windshield. Seatbelt s provide occupants the greatest protection from being ejected. In 1995 only two percent of occupants who were restrained were ejected, compared to 25 percent of people who weren’t wearing their seat belt.
After reading these statistics we must again ask ourselves does the government have the right to tell us we have to wear a seat belt. Should it not be our right as Americans to choose to be safe or not?
REFERENCES:
\http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/seat_belt_legislation_in_the_United_States
Indianlawblog.com/…/ind_law_who_mu…
www.safemotorist.com/indiana/driving/child_passenger_safety.aspx
www.nhts.gov/people/injury/airbags/Archive-04/Presbelt/america_seatbelt.htlm
Timothy J. Mann
Ashford University
ENG 325
5-03-2014
Today in society it seems our government is taking away more and more of our rights. A law that I would like to discuss is the seat belt law. “New York was the first state to pass a law which required vehicle occupants to wear seat belts, a law that came into effect on Dec 1, 1984.”
Where I live here in Indiana, they passed their first seat belt law on July 1, 1987. If you were pulled over in Indiana after July 1, 1987 and you were not wearing your seat belt, and over the age of 16, you would receive a $25 fine. This law makes no sense to me. What about all the children that are 16 years of age and under? Why would …show more content…
our government include anyone 16 years of age and older in this law, but not include children under the age of 16?
When they first passed this law it excluded anyone riding in a truck or a SUV titled as a truck. On Dec 29, 2008 Indiana passed a law stating that all people whether in a car or truck, must wear a seat belt, and any child under the age of 8 years old must be restrained in a car seat. “Indiana law also makes it illegal to ride in the bed of a pickup truck or to have more occupants in a vehicle than there are seat belts.”
Officials say that the passing of this law, and the use of click it or ticket has increased the use of seat belts in Indiana. There are of course a few exceptions to this law. Persons working on a farm, driving a farm truck, delivery drivers, people riding in the back of an recreational vehicle, or ambulance, people riding in a public utility emergency and occupants other than the operator of a garbage truck, tow truck, or a truck on a construction site, and those who have a doctors excuse exempting them from the law.
The child restraint law was padded in Indiana in July 1, 2005. “Indiana’s new seat belt, and child restraint law took effect July1, 2005.” Infants until they are at least 1 year of age should be placed in a rear facing car seat in the back seat of a car. It’s safer to put their car seat in the back seats, because of the danger of the air bag.
In Indiana the child restraint law does not apply to religious or youth vehicles that seat at least 10 occupants, school buses, antique cars, taxi cabs, ambulances, law enforcement vehicles, motorcycles, and funeral vehicles.
These exceptions make no sense to me. If our government is concerned about the safety of our children then they should not be allowed in these vehicles. What person in their right mind thinks it’s safe for a child to be on a motorcycle? Should any child under the age of 16 be allowed on any type of recreational vehicle or motorcycle? I know from my own experience too many children that have been seriously injured on these types of vehicles, and adults that have lost their lives.
I am currently a Title one instructor at Sullivan Elementary, and during the school year I ride on the school bus as an aide. They are currently trying to pass a law that states all children on a school bus must wear a seat belt. This is going to cost the school corporations thousands of more dollars a year to pay all of the aides it will take to monitor every school bus. We currently have teaching staff that has been without a raise in 10 years. This law will cost us more cuts in our schools, and who are those cuts going to affect? The students or the staff? So should
the
government be able to continue telling us what we should do to keep us safe? These are questions that constantly go thru my mind every time I hear a new law concerning seat belts.
Seatbelts are estimated to save 9,500 lives in our country every year. Seatbelts that have the lap and shoulder strap reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent and the risk of moderate injury by 50 percent. “Every 14 seconds someone in America is injured in a traffic crash and every 12 minutes someone is killed.” People involved in an automobile crash who aren’t in a seat belt slam into the steering wheel and go through the windshield. Seatbelt s provide occupants the greatest protection from being ejected. In 1995 only two percent of occupants who were restrained were ejected, compared to 25 percent of people who weren’t wearing their seat belt.
After reading these statistics we must again ask ourselves does the government have the right to tell us we have to wear a seat belt. Should it not be our right as Americans to choose to be safe or not?
REFERENCES:
\http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/seat_belt_legislation_in_the_United_States
Indianlawblog.com/…/ind_law_who_mu…
www.safemotorist.com/indiana/driving/child_passenger_safety.aspx
www.nhts.gov/people/injury/airbags/Archive-04/Presbelt/america_seatbelt.htlm