It’s tough to consider seat belt regulations and enforcement is reasonable when the same government allows motorcycles on the streets. But for the same reason I don’t ride motorcycles anymore I usually buckle up.
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What make’s it worse for me a cop riding a motorcycle with out a seat belt can give you a ticket if he see’s you in your car with out a seat belt.
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To answer the actual question posed, I routinely drive without one belt secured, and most times more than one (in unoccupied passenger seats). 
Or the cops that give tickets for improper vehicle height when they themselves own full size pickups that are lifted 2+ feel above legal limit.
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I don’t wear a seat-belt because it’s the law. I wear one because it’s far safer then NOT wearing one.
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My dad bought a new Rambler in 1960. He had the dealer install seat belt as part of the deal. Three years later, my mother and brother were making the 350 mile trip to visit me in the graduate school I was attending. They stopped for a red light and were rear ended by s semi. The Rambler was hit so hard that the whole car buckled in the middle and the engine jammed into the radiator. Only one door would open. My mother and brother escaped without injury because they were wearing seat belts. My brother saw the truck coming in the rear view mirror. He had such a tight grip on the steering wheel that he bent it into the shape of a pretzel. That was the end of the trip. My dad called me and insisted that I get seat belts for my car. I have had seat belts and more recently shoulder harnesses in every car I’ve owned.
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That is like many year’s ago I got a ticket in Illinois I don’t remember for what after all these year’s but it was for something Illinois reguired for truck’s that my home state did not reguire I took to court and beat it the judge told the cop that Illinois could not force there law’s on another state that had different law’s.
Or, the cops who are gabbing on a cellphone while driving, and then pull someone over for doing the same thing.
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I always wear the seat belt and so does my wife . But it is silly to have fines for that . I could ride my sport bike which would hit 135 MPH in shorts and tennis shoes . Being over 21 I could ride without a helmet .
I do support fines for not having children in car seats or buckled up.
What size shorts and shoes does your bike wear?
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Ever? Yes. If I have to back up any distance or around curves, I release the belt and turn sideways in the seat, sitting on one hip, with my right arm on the seat back, like we were taught in Driver’s Ed back in the 1960s. There are lots more accidents backing up today than there were in that era. I blame it on two factors:
- Seat belts and shoulder harnesses
- The prevalence of wrap-around “bucket” seats that make it harder to twist than bench seats.
(I added lap belts to the 1962 Impala. No place to attach shoulder belts.)
Larry
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Just to report again, today I unbelted at the mailbox to get the mail, then drove into the garage without putting my belt on. I was quite sure I was safe unless my wife was backing out at the same time without looking. She never fails to look though after running over the garbage can one collection day. The neighbor continued to give her a hard time about it until he finally moved.
I have always used seat belts since cars I have driven have had them. The only exception is if I roll the car down (within) the driveway.
I am not sure why people do not use them (I have not read the thread yet) and I frequently read about people who died in a car accident when they were “ejected” from the vehicle. This means they were not belted in.
If you feel that you are going to be lucky, or skillful, and avoid an accident you are deluding yourself and potentially leaving your family bereft. I hope you look before crossing the street, too.
Drive carefully and stay healthy!
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This last weekend a young male driver rolled his SUV after rear ending an off-duty policeman in his pickup truck.
The SUV careened all over and finally hit a bridge abutment. The driver was “thrown clear” and died on the spot. Not wearing a seat belt.
The policeman was seriously injured due to the force of the collision. He will be OK.
There won’t be a long court case on this; only which insurance company will pay for the policeman’s medical bills.
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In my view, the seat belt laws are primarily designed to protect individuals AND their families from death and injury. After all if a person dies, it is tragic for the family emotionally, and it is often financially tragic as well.
But the other reason I think they are helpful is in terms of the expense to society. If you die, you no longer provide income to your family. If you are injured, you may not be able to work and you also may receive disability payments of one sort or another, or you may qualify for Social Security as a young adult. If you are hospitalized for any length of time with a serious injury the costs to all of us are enormous. Seat belts are a low cost, low effort, way to avoid family related tragedies and losses, but with other benefits as well.
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Always wear it. I work in trauma. I could spend an hour talking about mechanisms of injury in car crashes. Long story short, most of the injuries caused by safety equipment would have been deaths without that equipment. Lap and shoulder belts plus airbags are better than any one of those without the others. There are always anecdotal exceptions to everything. Someone is sure to tell a story about how he’s certain he’d be dead if he’d worn a seatbelt.
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Always. My first car, a 1975 Audi Fox would not turn on unless seatbelts were engaged.
I got my license in 1980 had a little beetle and didn’t use any belts. I think it was around 1984 when they became the law and since then I never drive without them fastened. Also, no belt with that airbag going off could kill you.
So do you have enough to convince your non-seatbelt user of the follies of their ways, @common_sense_answer ?
@texases, personally, I do not know any non-seat belt (or non-seatbelt or non-safety belt) users.
To all participants…
Thanks to everybody taking part in this discussion!
I hope the comments keep coming, though. I have gained some new insights. There have been many thoughtful, intelligent, and informative responses!
CSA
