[quote=“Scrapyard-John, post:37, topic:178141”]
Let’s repeal the seatbelt laws though, if you’re over 18. Car seats for kids being mandatory, I agree with. But if a guy wants to risk banging his own fully grown head into a windshield, no skin off my back!
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Agree with you on that one.
Yeah, there’s a guy who just moved from DC to Florida who could write a book on that.
But more on this topic, please let us know what exactly is fake about the danger of someone who has reached the stage where they cannot drive safely.
Agreed, provided the rest of us don’t have to pay his medical bills via increased insurance premiums. I’m fully on board with repealing seatbelt and helmet laws for adults as long as there’s a component that puts those who choose to be personally unsafe fully on the hook for injuries they sustained that they would not otherwise have sustained.
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Sure, just like I wouldn’t want to pay for a pot smoker’s (respiratory) medical bills. Realistically, I don’t think pot is any worse than alcohol, it’s just the “legalizing drugs” opens a can of worms (or could).
As always, a good discussion.
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Huge costs to society, obviously.
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The fake part is that often the analysis is subjective according to ones personal view. Now if they take the state driving test and flunk, that is another matter. But nothing said so far indicates that the test has been flunked, an MD has referred them, or insurance has canceled them. Just so much clap trap based on personal bias.
@Scrapyard-John As far as pot goes though, I’m not so sure it is no worse than alcohol. There is some evidence that there can be long term changes to the brain from it’s use. I don’t think we should lock people up though or ruin their lives because of it.
16 - 21 year old folks already are penalized for driving; in their insurance rates.
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Consider a lease. Monthly payments are less, and after 2 to 4 years, you can turn it in. If he’s still driving, consider doing it again. If Dad shouldn’t be driving but still wants to, just don’t lease another car when the lease ends. Leasing is usually the most expensive way to get into a car, but it might make sense in this case.
Yeah, but they still get to drive…
Which I’m not advocating that they shouldn’t…. Just making the point that age alone shouldn’t necessarily be used to determine driving ability.
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I’m not advocating legalizing it. It serves no needed purpose, and I think we’d be better off without it. Same as alcohol in that regard. And the same as (or maybe better than) alcohol in regards to short term effects, people’s behavior when they are under the influence of it, etc.
He was quoting me, to be fair.
Alcohol is a huge cost to society, but it’s legal. Riding a motorcycle is dangerous (and I like it), but it’s still allowed.
I don’t see a big difference. Wear a seatbelt if you want to (I do), or take the risk. Just my thoughts anyway.
Not to get too far off that track but I think we do things whether the law says so or not. Aa friend of the family used to ride to the big city with me so she could visit her daughter. She was very large and try as she would. my Olds seatbelt would not fit around her. I think this was before it was mandated, but I didn’t have an extension. I guess I was just super careful that we had no mishap, even in snowy weather. Defensive driving.
One night coming home on the freeway I saw a cloud of dust ahead. When I got there a cycle driver had plowed his head into the back of an SUV. In turn the car following them had run up over the cycle. It was a bloody mess. He had no helmet and of course was dead at the scene. I think the whole chain reaction in the left lane was caused by tailgating. Knowing that stretch of road you had to be ready for quick stops and allow space accordingly.
It becomes a problem when someone calls it FAKE and it’s easily PROVABLE it’s NOT. The past 4 years proved that.
NH was the last state to pass an adult seatbelt law (less then 10 years ago). We had laws for children under 18, but not for adults. People don’t want to wear seatbelts then they should also give up their right to be treated at our publicly funded hospitals. For decades insurance companies have been trying to get laws passed that would allow them to NOT pay out to anyone injured in an accident who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. They’re still at it.
Someone posted the statistics above:
[quote=“Renegade, post:41, topic:178141, full:true”]
Have you considered what happens to an unbelted body in a collision? It becomes a projectile, and could collide with the baby in her car seat. How is accidentally headbutting your infant during a collision going to help anything?
If you want to drive unbelted by yourself, fine, but if you have an infant in the car, either belt everyone up or find a responsible adult to transport your children for you.
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Now for an answer to the real question. I’m a senior with arthritic knees, and drive quite a bit for my job. You need to look for a ‘tall car’ - mainly some kind of crossover or SUV. They will be far easier to get into, and easier for stiff joints to drive and maneuver. A full-size truck or SUV may actually be harder to climb up into, and good luck with parallel parking, so down-sized is better. I currently drive a 2014 Mazda CX-5 - bought it at the start of the pandemic - and could not be happier. Almost every car maker now has crossovers and small SUVs that would fit the profile.
Check for dependability; an internet search will turn up a lot of info. Expect to see complaints about every aspect of every car, but if they’re scattered, you’re good. However, one brand I checked turn up thousands of complaints about one major drivetrain component. I did NOT buy one of those!
Try to find something with a back-up camera, at least, or do a retrofit. I added one to my previous vehicle for under $50 and installed it myself in under an hour. They will charge more, of course, but any good custom shop can easily install all the cameras you see on newer cars.
Before she died, my Mom would drive over 600 miles one way to see her kids, and I had an uncle that regularly drove from Waco, Tx to Colorado when he was in his 80s. A lease would never work for them - too many miles - but we threw a fit until Mom got a cell phone. I’d make sure it had handsfree connections and all the other safety features you can get nowadays. And I should tell you there were truckers in the family; they knew how to do distance driving safely, and got plenty of phone calls along the way.
Hope I made some good suggestions for you. Good luck!
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If those who drive without a seatbelt are registered organ donors and don’t drive have innocent victims in the car with them who might be injured by their flailing bodies, I can be persuaded to agree.
Yeah, ok. So it verifies young drivers are dangerous…which is what I was implying
Man, get off the high horse. I wear a seatbelt. I already said under 18 should be mandatory. Car seats should be mandatory. If you want to pick random scenarios, then sure, you can add “if there’s anyone under 18 in the vehicle seatbelts are mandatory for all” into the law.
The whole point was it’s an example of legislation vs freedom. I don’t really care if seatbelt laws stay as they are.
It’s a combination of being young, and being new drivers. It turns out older new drivers have higher accident rates, too, so it’s a cost of getting folks able to drive.
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