Seat Belt Laws Research Paper
Seat Belt Laws in Montana Op-ed
Montana Fountain
Claire
17 October, 2014
Writing 101-03
Seat Belt Laws in Montana
There are many stories that circulate about being in car crashes, with or without wearing seatbelts. This particular story however, outlines what will be a constant theme throughout my whole paper: the horrible effects of not being buckled up while driving. This is a mother’s story, a woman by the name of Samantha Babcock. As you read this, think of how much the safety of your loved ones means to you.
"Once I thought the buckle-up laws were just an inconvenience, but since it was the law, mostly, both of my children were in a car seat or safety belt. But sometimes either I would not have a car seat or there …show more content…
Primary seat belt laws allow law enforcement officers to ticket a driver or passenger for not wearing a seat belt, without any other traffic offense taking place. Secondary seat belt laws state that law enforcement officers may issue a ticket for not wearing a seat belt only when there is another citable traffic infraction. Montana is an example of a state who uses the set of Secondary seat belt laws, and although it has been proven somewhat useful, 20.7% of Montana’s population, which is approximately 196,000 people, are still not buckling up (Primary Seatbelt Law Factsheet). In 2011 alone, there was a reported 172 vehicle occupant deaths. Out of those 172 deaths, 127 people were not wearing seatbelts (Montana Living). That is a large statistical number and often gets written off as just that, a statistic. But most Montana towns are small, with a wholesome community-feel based environment. That is 127 individual deaths which affect whole communities. If there can be at least one person saved from wearing a seatbelt, it would be beneficial to a magnitude of people. Some people however still dare to think “I don’t need to wear a seatbelt,” or “that would never happen to me.” There are many myths about seatbelt use, and I am going to help relieve some of those
Montana Fountain
Claire
17 October, 2014
Writing 101-03
Seat Belt Laws in Montana
There are many stories that circulate about being in car crashes, with or without wearing seatbelts. This particular story however, outlines what will be a constant theme throughout my whole paper: the horrible effects of not being buckled up while driving. This is a mother’s story, a woman by the name of Samantha Babcock. As you read this, think of how much the safety of your loved ones means to you.
"Once I thought the buckle-up laws were just an inconvenience, but since it was the law, mostly, both of my children were in a car seat or safety belt. But sometimes either I would not have a car seat or there …show more content…
Primary seat belt laws allow law enforcement officers to ticket a driver or passenger for not wearing a seat belt, without any other traffic offense taking place. Secondary seat belt laws state that law enforcement officers may issue a ticket for not wearing a seat belt only when there is another citable traffic infraction. Montana is an example of a state who uses the set of Secondary seat belt laws, and although it has been proven somewhat useful, 20.7% of Montana’s population, which is approximately 196,000 people, are still not buckling up (Primary Seatbelt Law Factsheet). In 2011 alone, there was a reported 172 vehicle occupant deaths. Out of those 172 deaths, 127 people were not wearing seatbelts (Montana Living). That is a large statistical number and often gets written off as just that, a statistic. But most Montana towns are small, with a wholesome community-feel based environment. That is 127 individual deaths which affect whole communities. If there can be at least one person saved from wearing a seatbelt, it would be beneficial to a magnitude of people. Some people however still dare to think “I don’t need to wear a seatbelt,” or “that would never happen to me.” There are many myths about seatbelt use, and I am going to help relieve some of those