Do You Remember When Seat Belts Became Law In Your Area?

I wasn't sure so I did a google search and it stated California was January 1, 1986. However I was not living in California at that time and I remember when seat belts did become mandatory. It was earlier in the 80's. I don't know if this was first a county law or how it worked.

I do know that I didn't wear my seat belt prior to the law and on day one I did and have ever since.

I know they do look for them because a few years a go a co-worker got a ticket when she just drove about 1/2 block from the entrance to our work. She was just going to a fast food place but the police spotted her and she got a ticket.

Do you wear your seat belt all the time. And did you before it became law?

 

Ive worn my seat belt since it became a law and might have worn it before but I can't remember. I buckle up even if I'm just moving from one parking spot to another in a shopping plaza...it's just a habit with me.

 

My Honey and I both always wear ours. It makes me mad that the school buses my grandkids ride don't even have seat belts...I definitely think they should. There was some talk awhile back about passing a law that our school buses would have to have them....but it seems that talk was all that it was.

When my ex totaled my favorite car...wearing his seat belt kept him from having any serious injuries and anyone who would have seen my totaled car would definitely have second thoughts about not wearing their seat belts.

 

I don't remember when but I remember what a furor it caused with some people. "The Gov'ment ain't tellin' me what to do! " I never even crank my car up without fastening my seatbelt. Almost every time I see that somebody has died in a car wreck, it is followed by, "Was not wearing a seat belt."

 

Maybe a long time ago it wasn't so bad if you didn't wear seat belts as there were far fewer cars on the road and probably not as many traveling as much as they do now days. There definitely were fewer crazy, road rage drivers than now.

 

I didn't wear them before and I didn't wear them afterwards until I received my second ticket for not wearing a seatbelt. I was thinking it was late seventies when the seatbelt law went into effect but you said it was early eighties.

 

Always, always wear them. Glad they have the Air Bag now as well.

There is a tool, that can be bought, that has a cutter on it as well as a window breaker. Tool is made for seatbelts, in case they jam in an accident and a person can't get it off. And, has a window breaker, for use if the vehicle winds up over the side of a bridge and into the water. Once in the water, the battery will die and windows won't come down.

By the way, do any of you have a First Aid Kit, Fire Extinguisher, flares and flashlight in your vehicle? We have all. And, even thought we have AAA (Auto Club), we also have jumper cables.

 

Getting ticketed and having to pay hefty fines can sometimes make you change your mind about things faster than anything else.

 

I know about that tool and should get one but I always forget. The chances of me landing in water are slim but the seatbelt cutter would be useful if I could get to it after the airbag hits me.

I used to have the first aid kit and all that in my car when my ex was living with me. He was a volunteer for the Highway Patrol in Ohio, so he did all those type of things.

 

I got my daughter one of those seatbelt cutters when she moved to Texas and was always driving herself and her babies around in her van. I had read quite a few articles where in accidents people couldn't get their seatbelts to unlock and it made things worse for them. So when I saw a seat belt cutter when I was doing some Christmas shopping...I bought my daughter one to keep in her van.

 

But can you get to it if the airbag deploys?

 

Chrissy, I got it for her and she has in her van...we trust God will help her get to it if the need arises.

 

The thing about the First Aid Kit, it basically can only be used by the people who have it in their vehicle. Why? Unless someone in the vehicle is a doctor or nurse, with ID, people let ambulance or Fire Dept. Rescue take care of anyone hurt. Today there is a "liability" involved in helping a stranger in an emergency. Back in the later 70's, after I stopped working in emergency services, I had a First Aid Kit in my personal vehicle and would stop to aid anyone involved in an accident. That was then and now is now.

Now, if someone needs a band aid, like at a Rest Stop, I will give them one. Other than that, it's a must today to call 911, instead of helping. Even in a "life or death" situation, a person has to be extremely careful helping a stranger due to law suits of something done wrong.

Why are road flares an important item to have? If you wind up with a dead battery at night on the freeway or somewhere else, law enforcement can find you much easier when flares out on the road behind the vehicle. Wife and I had a problem one time in Southern California. Due to freeway traffic, had to push the vehicle to the middle divider. Raised the hood, put on Emergency Flashers and put three 30 minute road flares behind the vehicle. CHP was able to find our vehicle by way of the flares and thanked us for using flares. Anyway, one Officer stopped all oncoming traffic, while another Officer helped us push the vehicle to the right side of the freeway.

 

The thing comes with a mounting bracket to install by the seat or within arms distance.

Come to think of it, I'm going to get us one for this coming Christmas. We have many "NASCAR" type drivers here (fast, swerving back and forth and uncaring) and numerous bridges. The St Johns River splits the city. One bridge, the Buckmann, has had numerous accidents on it, including "over the railing, into the water and sink to the bottom" types. There was one accident where an entire family lost their lives due to an accident with fire. It was absolutely horrible.