Thank you, officer.

[LS2JSTS]

A seatbelt can save your life, that much is true. But it also can kill you, that is true as well.

It's also, a good way to beg out of a "point" ticket and into a seatbelt pointless ticket instead. Or with my luck, you just get them both.

 

[scurvy]

Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
A seatbelt can save your life, that much is true. But it also can kill you, that is true as well.


What do you reckon is the ratio of the former to the latter? That's the real truth of seatbelts IMO. I'd be willing to wager that the ratio is very, very high in favor of wearing one.

Personally I don't think you should have to wear one, or a motorcycle helmet for that matter. But as soon as you are injured without one on, you should be 100% responsible for your medical care and any property damages: auto/health/life insurance covers 0% and you get $0 dole from the gummint when you're too damaged to function in society due to injuries sustained.

I feel funny sitting in a parked car without a seatbelt on, nor will I transport anyone what refuses to buckle up. I won't even ride a bicycle without a helmet, gloves and a hojillion blinky LED lights (or loan you one of mine if you don't wear it). I follow the traffic rules and I've been hit by cars five times, very lucky to have walked away on two of those occasions. I've fortunately not been hit on a motorcycle but you always dress for the crash, not for the ride: DOT full-face helmet, gloves, sturdy boots & appropriate body armor.

LS2JSTS, I think you're right that most folks would wind up with two tickets. I know I would were I in that situation!

 

[CivicFan]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
and I never wear a seatbelt.


Why?


He's a daredevil.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Originally Posted By: scurvy
Originally Posted By: LS2JSTS
A seatbelt can save your life, that much is true. But it also can kill you, that is true as well.


What do you reckon is the ratio of the former to the latter? That's the real truth of seatbelts IMO. I'd be willing to wager that the ratio is very, very high in favor of wearing one.

Personally I don't think you should have to wear one, or a motorcycle helmet for that matter. But as soon as you are injured without one on, you should be 100% responsible for your medical care and any property damages: auto/health/life insurance covers 0% and you get $0 dole from the gummint when you're too damaged to function in society due to injuries sustained.

I feel funny sitting in a parked car without a seatbelt on, nor will I transport anyone what refuses to buckle up. I won't even ride a bicycle without a helmet, gloves and a hojillion blinky LED lights (or loan you one of mine if you don't wear it). I follow the traffic rules and I've been hit by cars five times, very lucky to have walked away on two of those occasions. I've fortunately not been hit on a motorcycle but you always dress for the crash, not for the ride: DOT full-face helmet, gloves, sturdy boots & appropriate body armor.

LS2JSTS, I think you're right that most folks would wind up with two tickets. I know I would were I in that situation!


It depends on a lot of factors. In a head on collision the numbers would be greatly in favor of the seat belt wearers having lesser significant injuries. In a side or rear quartering collision, the numbers would change drastically.

Another very important and often overlooked factor is that many out there wear the seatbelt improperly. In those cases, sometimes a low speed collision can cause massive injuries to the belt wearer. Properly adjusted they may have been fine, but with the belt too high on the abdomen, they may be seriously injured.

The NHTSA publishes exhaustive data on things like this. In the end my take is, like anything risky in life, it's all a [censored].

IMO, if you think you are more likely to be in a head on collision, by all means, buckle up!

 

[Kestas]

It's not whether a person "thinks he's more likely", but the fact is that a person "IS" more likely to experience a frontal impact during a crash. The data shows it.

 

[LS2JSTS]

And the data also shows that a huge portion of those head on collisions are single car incidents. Falling asleep at the wheel, dodging a stray animal on the road, drunks piling into something ...a lot of instances I will never have to face. I dont drive tired...or drunk, and I know what to do when an animal gets in my path.....sorry animals.

My point is that the data has to be broken down much further than just "head on". A lot of head on collisons are avoidable, and by a good aware driver often are.

No argument though, that the majority of accidents are head on.

 

[greenaccord02]

Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: greenaccord02
and I never wear a seatbelt.


Why?


He's a daredevil.


To [censored] ya'll off.

No, really because it's uncomfortable and I don't feel like it. Spare any lectures, please.

 

[The_Jeff]

For a while the seatbelt law in this state was secondary, IE you had to have another infraction to get pulled over, but then could get two tickets.

I had a police scanner, and there was a spree the next town over of "obstructed windshields"... dreamcatchers, fuzzy dice, and unfastened seatbelts.

If ever one wanted to be profiled/busted, not wearing a seatbelt is IMO a great way.

I was fresh out of college, living with my parents, and in denial that I wasn't in my own place. So I had my stereo stuff etc all in my car because I didn't feel like unpacking. I got pulled over for speeding, by a motorcycle cop who just pointed at the shoulder, and told scruffy faced me that "there have been a lot of breakins lately."

Brought out another cop, they looked over the stuff, agreed it didn't match anything, and let me go with a warning for speed. Almost feel like escaping the serious crime also let me out of the speeding ticket.

 

[sciphi]

When I'm around town, there's nothing visible in my car except for a bunch of maps, my backpack full of papers when heading to work, and a bike tire pump. Anybody can see in, so I don't want to show anything of value.

Or give an unscrupulous LEO an excuse to escalate. My apologies to the good LEO's out there, and there are some LEO's who give their fair-minded colleagues a terrible name.

 

[greenaccord02]

Well, I should have mentioned that when I looked like a hippie I never sped anywhere and I always wore my seatbelt as a rule.

 

[Sunabozu]

Originally Posted By: sciphi
When I'm around town, there's nothing visible in my car except for a bunch of maps, my backpack full of papers when heading to work, and a bike tire pump. Anybody can see in, so I don't want to show anything of value.

Or give an unscrupulous LEO an excuse to escalate. My apologies to the good LEO's out there, and there are some LEO's who give their fair-minded colleagues a terrible name.



i once got accused by a henderson county sherrif of stealing the computers that were in my truck, even after i showed him my work ID from Dell, and the Fedex invoice from the computers being shipped to me, he still gave me [censored].

 

[ekpolk]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
I don't see the officer being in the wrong at all. You were driving a beater, had no insurance and your license was expired. It's not his job to verify you were sent a letter stating it was suspended. It is his job to make sure people who are driving uninsured with out a license are taken off the road.

I feel for ya brother, and it sucks when you have most of your ducks in a row or when circumstances align perfectly to screw you over. I mean no disrespect toward you, but I don't think your story warrants cop bashing at all.


I do. As GMBoy noted, it would have probably taken about ten minutes to make a correct call about the OP's insurance.

I'm no bleeding heart type either. I'm a retired USMC Colonel. I do now work as a Public Defender here in Florida. Street cops, in my estimation, "get it right" 90+ percent of the time. Slightly less than ten percent of the time, they don't. The most extreme case in recent memory is, of course, the Rodney King beating. Do you think ANYONE would have believed Rodney, were it not for the video? Then there was that truck-load of Mexicans who got similarly beaten down. Here in my area, we've had several of our own home brewed situations. A couple years back, we had one that topped Rodney's case -- a 14-year-old who got beaten and died at a juvenile bootcamp nearby. "Official" reports left out all the "good" stuff -- then the video surfaced. It depicted multiple, out-of-control LEOs butt-whoppin' a kid who was already down, all while a facility nurse stood by watching with her arms folded.

I respect cops, greatly. On the other hand, cops seem to demand "unconditional love and respect" from the rest of us. Well, the world is changing, and pretty soon, there will be a video shot of everything, everywhere. That idea used to scare me. Now, from what I've seen doing my job, it comforts me.

The OP's story in no way surprises me. Sounds to me like a hyper-agressive cop took it upon himself to teach a youngster a lesson about who's boss (as in the cop). This happens waaaaay too often to be dismissed out of hand.

Law enforcement really needs to start policing itself as it polices the rest of us. If they want the respect of the public, they're going to have to earn it (or at least act to preserve it).
. This sorry story reminds me of many other similar ones I've heard.

 

[LS2JSTS]

Originally Posted By: ekpolk


Law enforcement really needs to start policing itself as it polices the rest of us. If they want the respect of the public, they're going to have to earn it (or at least act to preserve it).
. This sorry story reminds me of many other similar ones I've heard.


I too have a healthy respect for the good honest LEO's that work a thankless and dangerous job. But the bad ones make it hard for them, don't they?

My biggest problem has always been with traffic enforcement in general and then the buddy buddy system that is so apparent. I don't think we'll ever see a fair policy of policing themselves like they do us. A very recent example here in Michigan. The Sherrifs Deputy has already been releived of duty, the jury is still out on the local City officer who scratched his back......


http://www.tecumsehherald.com/node/3461

 

[ccs v2.0]

Last year, my neighbor went out drinking with a local sheriff deputy who is also politically connected. On the way home at 2 AM the guy was speeding, open alcohol in the center console, and gets pulled over by a local town cop, who just said, "oh, it's you!". So they kept on speeding home...

The sad part is that the judges give all cops the benefit of the doubt, regardless of they are in the 90%+ side or the 10% or less side.

 

[Dave Hess]

I saw on TV there are traffic cameras in south FL that is snapping photos of people running red lights, but in reality they are coming to a complete stop and making a right hand turn during a red light. There are no signs at this intersection that say you can't make a right hand turn during the red light.

This city expects to bring in approx $1 miliion in traffic fines just for this one intersection over a one year period. If you take it to court, how can you defend yourself if you are caught on film ?

 

[PRND3L]

Originally Posted By: ccs v2.0
Last year, my neighbor went out drinking with a local sheriff deputy who is also politically connected. On the way home at 2 AM the guy was speeding, open alcohol in the center console, and gets pulled over by a local town cop, who just said, "oh, it's you!". So they kept on speeding home...


Ha, similar thing happened in a neighboring county last year, but the good 'ol sheriff hit a parked, occupied SUV on his way home from the country club (that he co-owned and where he was drinking), and just kept on going...

link

 

[sciphi]

Originally Posted By: Sunabozu
Originally Posted By: sciphi
When I'm around town, there's nothing visible in my car except for a bunch of maps, my backpack full of papers when heading to work, and a bike tire pump. Anybody can see in, so I don't want to show anything of value.

Or give an unscrupulous LEO an excuse to escalate. My apologies to the good LEO's out there, and there are some LEO's who give their fair-minded colleagues a terrible name.



i once got accused by a henderson county sherrif of stealing the computers that were in my truck, even after i showed him my work ID from Dell, and the Fedex invoice from the computers being shipped to me, he still gave me [censored].


That thing enters the back of my mind whenever I'm hauling my stuff from point to point. What would happen if I were asked to prove ownership? I guess that's where being genuinely puzzled why I'm being asked that question comes into play.

 

[L_Sludger]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
Quote:

Perhaps its the policemen in that area that are the issue


Other Texans seem to have confirmed this....

As a point of comparison, I was involved in an accident in CT (I was @ fault) When the state trooper asked for my insurance card (required to carry in the vehicle) I was unable to produce it (left @ home) and the vehicle I hit was from out of state, but still drivable. When the flatbed was clearing the mess, the State Trooper gave me his voice mailbox # and indicated I had until the end of his shift (about 4 hours) to call and leave my insurance company name and policy #, otherwise he would be stopping by house.... No overreaction, no power trip, just a reasonable resolution to minor issue.

Sounds like an absolutely decent and stand-up person, and a model exemplar of how authority figures should act.

 

[OilNerd]

Don't even know why we bother with insurance cards, here in NY. If it ain't right, everyone from the state to the insurance company knows long before the driver does.

My agent messed up a company switchover while I was visiting my sister in Florida. Talk about a stressful trip. With the automated license plate reader-equipped cars, the cameras just run everybody's plates while passing by until something pops up.

Fortunately, I was able to return home without any tickets or arrests and get everything back in order. I feel for you about the license thing.

 

[Vikas]

In Mass the insurance company name is listed right on the registration paper. I have not carried insurance card with me in decades. Am I living on borrowed time?

- Vikas