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Above the law?

MarkB_MI

MarkB_MI

Well-known Member
Location
Motown USA
The top public official in Oakland County, Michigan was seriously injured in a car crash this past weekend. His car, driven by a retired state trooper, struck another car in an intersection. The official suffered multiple broken bones, including both wrists, but is expected to make a full recovery. The driver's injuries are apparently more serious.

Neither man had fastened his seat belt; apparently they both believed themselves to be above the law. What they failed to take into account is that no one is above the laws of physics.
No seat belts
 
Read the headline on the 2nd story-- couldn't figure out why the tractor was supposed to be wearing helmets.

I have a minor in journalism; I'd have never let a headline like that get printed in the paper.
 
LOL, good one. On my little stretch of highway there have been several bad accidents. At least two of them fatal. I don't go out of the yard without my seatbelt on.
 
I read somewhere that 50% of the people that die in car accidents are not wearing their seat belts. How did I ever live to this age without them? Everyone around here has a cell phone to their ear when they're driving, including cops & town officials. Go figure- joe
 
I am a testament to seat belts.

In August, 1980, I was driving a VW Rabbit home from the grocery store and was stopped at a red light. At that time, they were one of the few cars where the seat belt and shoulder strap were one piece like they are today. I was hit from behind by a 1 ton Chevy Van.

The impact was so great it knocked me into the vehicle in front of me, a 1980 something that was a "land barge". I don"t tailgate, either. There was at least one car length between us.

The lady driving that car did not have her seat belt on. The van hit me so hard that when I hit her, the impact was enough that she went into the windshield and broke the windshield with her head.

I do have whiplash, but when they were able to get my car door open, I walked away.

My car was literally crushed. If I had not been wearing my seat belt & shoulder harness my injuries would have been severe or even killed me.

The only time I don"t wear a seat belt is driving the work truck on the farm property. Otherwise, my vehicle doesn"t even move until its fastened.
 
(quoted from post at 04:40:21 08/15/12) I read somewhere that 50% of the people that die in car accidents are not wearing their seat belts. How did I ever live to this age without them? Everyone around here has a cell phone to their ear when they're driving, including cops & town officials. Go figure- joe
Click to expand...


So that means that 50% of people who die in car wrecks were wearing seat belts.????


Rick
 
I too was in a serious wreck where my seat belt kept me from being seriously injured. Guy was passing in the center of a long S curve and came out of it sideways, crossing the center line. He hit me head on with the passanger side of his car. It pushed the door to the console and the front of my F150 back to far it buckled the floor pans under my feet. He was seriously inujured and was bleeding from his ears, nose, mouth, etc. so they airlifted him out. I walked away with some bruising across my chest from the belt. In this case, yes, I feel the belt saved my life.

On the other hand I was also in an accident where the vehicle I was towing hit some road debris while I was in a hard curve going into a rest area. The debris kicked the front tires of the towed vehicle into a left turn. The end result was my truck lying on it's side and the towed vehicle jacknifed and lying on it's top, with the tow bar still attached to both vehicles. This was in the '80's and I rarely wore a seat belt back then. My only injury was a skint arm where it caught some asphalt becuase the drivers side window was open and my upper arm was longer than from the steering wheel to the ground.

As far as statistics go, yes I believe seatbelts can save lives, but I think the percentages are all way off. I say this because if someone has a wreck, doesn't get seriously injured, and aren't wearing their seatbelt, do you seriously think they are going to admit to the cop they weren't wearing it and get a ticket.....especially if the wreck wasn't their fault. As a result I think the stats are way off as there are alot of people walking around after a wreck, not seriously injured, that weren't wearing their belt but, because they didn't want a ticket, the police report tells statiticians they were. Just my .02 based on experience.............
 
Tanker,

The percentage of fatalities where the person wasn't buckled in is actually 63 percent. When you consider that seat belt usage is around 85 percent, you end up with the sobering statistic that 15 percent of vehicle occupants account for over 60 percent of fatalities.
 
My wife was in a head-on collision (not of her creation) several years ago. Thanks to the air bag and belts she walked away from it. Law officers at the scene said if it hadn't been for the bag and belts there was no way she could have survived.

About a week later, from the top of her left shoulder to her right hip, and across her stomach, she had a 5" wide band that was the darkest purple I've ever seen on a person from the belts digging in.

She did eventually have to have one knee scoped from hitting the dash beside the steering column, but that was minor considering what the outcome might have been.
 
Well........remember when Stabenow's hubby got caught with that hooker that he found on craigslist?
She got hauled off for it,he got a parking ticket.
 
After reading all the posts, I am still not sure that seat belts are for me. First of all, I have two shoulder replacements and the belts ride on the scars and sometimes make them sore. Could possibly use sleeves over the belts. I also had a friend that was so damaged inside ( liver. spleen, stomach etc) that he died from the seat belt injuries. NOW, I oftime wear the belts at my loved ones insistance but on May 13 2012, on I 71 between Columbus and Cincinatti my loved one was driving our Lincoln at 70 MPH and lost control . We ended up hitting a guard rail headon at that speed. I had no seat belt on, we both got hit by airbags moved the body of the car back 8 inches on the frame and walked away with only a large cut on my arm from the air bag. This is not trying to say that seatbelts are not good, only that they are not always the saviour some think they are. By the way, we are both 80 years old
 
Me, too. I was driving my Dodge Cummins pickup in white out conditions on 401 in Canada, and a Mack truck had just jack-knifed in front of me. There was no time to react, so I hit that Mack smack on in the rear. Another mack that was tailgating me then hit me from behind. The thing that saved me was I was driving the Cummins, and that heavy engine block took the front impact and the heavy frame took the hit from the back. These both were fully loaded macks, 18-wheelers. Bent my truck into a C-shape and it took them 2 hours to cut me out. But I walked away without a scratch. Needless to say, I was on the phone to the Dodge Dealer to order a replacement exactly the same. That Cummins saved my life.
 
We were told in drivers trainging in 72 that 58,000 people died every years in America. Now I think that number is down around 35,000. Some claim it's seat belts, other better construction of vehicles, better roads ECT. ECT. ECT.

I think the biggest single thing has been EMT's. Back when I started driving only the largest cities had EMT's. Called em paramedics back then. Out here in rural MN we only had a volenteer ambulance crew who were allowed to "stop the bleeding and transport".

Note I did say the single biggest thing.

Rick
 
Remember that was 30 yrs ago. The Rabbit had a good safety reputation then. It was also a diesel which may have helped. Still have the crash photos. Amazing that I walked away.

It was a great car and got 50 mpg.

The biggest factor - God's hand. It wasn't my time.
 
Forget seat belts, 80 years old, driving 70 MPH and loosing control? That ranks right up there with drunk driving. Incredible no one was killed! I hope your "loved one" was charged and her license taken away. Wow! can't believe anyone would post something like that.
 
Just because you"re 80 doesn"t mean you have diminished capacity.

There are a lot of 20 somethings who are far more dangerous than the 80 somethings.
 
I don't care how many bags or seat belts you have on. With some of today's cars. You are going to get hurt or killed. Have you ever seen the smart car. No way would I get into one of those things.Same with the Fiats I have seen. A cracker box on wheels.
 
I realize there are bad drivers of all ages but at 80 years old a person does not have the same reflexes they had when they were even 10 years younger. Unless they're Mario Andretti or on a track, an 80 year old shouldn't be driving 70 MPH. Proof is in the serious accident mentioned.
 
(quoted from post at 04:40:21 08/15/12) I read somewhere [b:50bfa84641]that 50% of the people that die in car accidents are not wearing their seat belts.[/b:50bfa84641] How did I ever live to this age without them? Everyone around here has a cell phone to their ear when they're driving, including cops & town officials. Go figure- joe
Click to expand...
hat must mean that the other 50% of people that die in car accidents do wear seatbelts.
So were is the benefit?
 
They were on an interstate highway. So, they should have been driving 45 mph?

Also: 80 percent of auto accidents occur at speeds 40 mph or less.
 

That IS one of our biggest problems...Cops AND Law-Makers who place themselves ABOVE the Law....

Happens everywhere..regularly and across this Nation..
Judges who have a long list of OMVI tickets that have been hidden from the record, Cops let off after Horrible assaults..even murders (on and off Duty)..Congressmen who ALWAYS Exempt their selves from the Laws they pass....
The list goes ON and ON...

Ron..
 
"When setting speed limits it is important to have speed limits that the majority of drivers consider reasonable. Studies have shown that most drivers tend to drive at a speed they are comfortable with. Raising or lowering the speed limit does not have a significant effect on speed. However, when the speed limit is set at a level that most drivers consider reasonable the speed of vehicles is more uniform. It is considered safer to have all the vehicles traveling at approximately the same speed. Also, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) does not want to to set unreasonably low speed limits that would make the average driver a law breaker." If "seat belt" has a problem with this he should take it up with ODOT Planning and Engineering.
 
My loved one and I have been driving since we were 14 and were raised up in farm country. First of all, We were in a line of traffic and were almost the slowest on the road. The only one going slower was the car we came up on, she turned on turn signals checked for cars approaching on left, started out and some young woman going at least 85 came up on us with out slowing down, LO over corrected when pulling back in. I believe it was the speeder. I guess that you think all 80 year olds should quit driving on interstates. Why not just put all of us in nursing homes, take away our cars and l;et us die. For that matter I have an Aunt who will be 100 in Oct, still lives alone and drives every day. I guess we should have done away with her 20 yrs ago. By the way, I still fly and work on tractors and occasionly take the boat out in Lake Erie. Also, this is our first serious accident in all these3 years. We also don't drink and drive catchon????
 
Really this is the biggest problem in America now. Old people kill us every day on the road, plug up the restuarants when the working man gets a half hour break and make it impossible to get in to the doctors office. And then there's the complaints. The only people who need to care if they were wearing a seatbelt are the two who were injured.
 
Largely because the 80-somethings know their limits better than the 20-somethings and aren't afraid to admit to them.

I rolled a dump truck 7 years ago. When I knew I wasn't getting it back I layed down as best I could so my head wouldn't be near the roof. I got chewed out by a couple friends for not wearing the seatbelt (I'm not sure it even had one, it was built in 79), but if I had been wearing one, I would have been banging my head on the roof instead of falling out the windshield while it was upside down.
 
Ya spose the Man upstairs might just have fired a warning shot?? It happens! Must have some plan for them down here yet. I think they aught to have to do public service speaking at high schools etc. Anyone can pay a ticket. Specially with our tax money.
 
Quote some accident/age figures to justify.

You also fail to comprehend the broader picture.The Police in attendance,The ambulance personnel who could be required somewhere else, the Hospital staff.. The ongoing care necessary.The cost, The relatives.
It's not just two people getting hurt, the ramifications are far wider.

So just have the truck and skip roll up, throw them in there.

A day free from killing on the roads,Spaces now at the restaurant and Doctor's Surgery for the working man. Problem solved.
 
The fact is your loved one who is 80 lost control of the car doing 70 MPH and could have very easily killed someone. You can make up excuses and she could be one of the best drivers in the world but it still doesn't change the fact she lost control and had a serious accident. I'm sure the investigators would have considered her age and the speed. Most 80 year olds just do not have the reaction time and reflexes that younger people have. That's not bashing the elderly, it's just a fact. I'm glad no one was seriously hurt.
 
That is their business...and/or the Police"s business. Whey would you or anyone else not involved in Law Enforcement worry about who is wearing seat belts except yourself?
Actually seat belt laws are an infringement upon personal liberties if you are over the age of 18 then you should be able to make that choice/take that chance. Just like smoking, eating at McDonalds, and wearing helmets. Be aware of the possible outcomes, make your decision and live with it! I would NEVER ride my scoot without a full face helmet, but I"ll defend anyone"s right to do "go nekkid!" We don"t like it when gov"t officials rain down he** on Chick Filet when the CEO speaks out against gay marriage, why should we embrace other government infringements upon our liberties?
...and the worst are those who worry about what others are or are not doing; we recently had an accident locally when a busy body saw a driver using a cell phone and used his cell to call 911 and report it, when they pulled his car out from under the dump truck and opened his car like a soup can to extricate him he said that he felt it was an emergency situation and he felt he should be expempt (cell phone usage while driving in NY is illegal.) He got a cell phone usage ticket, so actually justice was done twice!
 
Pete, why the anger? I guess you missed my point: Newton's Laws of Motion don't really care if your civil liberties are being violated.

Now, since you ask why I should care about whether the individuals in question were buckled in, here's why: We have a county official and county employee traveling in a county vehicle on county business. Their injuries will be covered by the county's insurance and Medicare. It will be several months of rehabilitation, paid for by the county's insurance, before they return to work, during which I imagine they will continue to collect county paychecks. Now, if they had just followed the law, like 95 percent of people in our state do, it's likely they would have both walked away from the accident, sparing themselves a lot of pain and sparing the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. As a citizen, taxpayer and voter, I think I DO have a right to criticize the actions of public officials and employees, particularly when it affects where my tax dollars go. These people are not above the law, whether those laws are man-made or not.
 
(quoted from post at 06:10:36 08/15/12)
(quoted from post at 04:40:21 08/15/12) I read somewhere that 50% of the people that die in car accidents are not wearing their seat belts. How did I ever live to this age without them? Everyone around here has a cell phone to their ear when they're driving, including cops & town officials. Go figure- joe
Click to expand...


So that means that 50% of people who die in car wrecks were wearing seat belts.????


Rick
Click to expand...
he other 50% were not wearing helmets.
 
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