NH Seatbelt Law

[Kat Kanning]

 

[Dave Ridley]

Just wanted to let everyone know this bill does have to go through all the usual gymnastics, there will be no back door secret surprise seatbelt law next month.  We'll have advance notice , then we can just show up at the hearing and speak our peace.

[Russell Kanning]

I will bring my pitchfork for the "peasants with pitchforks" routine.

[intergraph19]

Just wanted to let everyone know this bill does have to go through all the usual gymnastics, there will be no back door secret surprise seatbelt law next month.  We'll have advance notice , then we can just show up at the hearing and speak our peace.

I know I would like to go, and I'm sure it will be packed, but it's fascinating to see none the less.

[Karl]

http://generalcourt.org/bills/2005/HB705

Public hearing has not yet been scheduled.

[Kat Kanning]

Thanks, Karl!

[Rodinia]

Generally speaking, how soon is a hearing scheduled after the bill is posted on the gen court web site?

[davemincin]

Anyone have the Foster's article of 1/23 on the pending seatbelt legislation?  It's no longer online?
It had some stats and quotes I wanted to use tomorrow, and I fear without it, I'm down the tube!

[Russell Kanning]

hearing 2/17
Maybe I should bring my legislative restraints so that we can be safe from the lawmakers.

[Kat Kanning]

Click it or ticket
Walter E. Williams (back to web version) | email to a friend Send

June 15, 2005

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an office within the U.S. Department of Transportation, just finished its annual campaign to get us to wear our seatbelts under a program called "Click It or Ticket." States receive federal subsidies to ticket drivers if they or their passengers are not buckled up.

Some states, such as Maryland, are so eager that they've equipped their officers with night vision goggles, similar to those used by our servicemen in Iraq. Maryland state troopers bagged 44 drivers traveling unbuckled under the cover of darkness. The NHTSA's "Click It or Ticket" program is another step toward making Americans serfs of the state.

Let's look at it. I personally believe that wearing seatbelts is a good idea, and I buckle up and remind my passengers to do so as well. Because seatbelt usage saves lives, mandating such is an abomination in a free society. There are many other legislative actions that are offensive to liberty and can have saving as their justification, a matter I'll turn to later. But let's talk about the immorality of mandated seatbelt usage.

Let's start with the question: Who owns Walter E. Williams? Is it President Bush, the U.S. Congress, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or do I own myself? I'm guessing that any reasonable person would agree that I own Walter E. Williams. The fact that I own myself means that I have the right to take risks with my own life but not others'. That's why it's consistent with morality to mandate that my car have working brakes. If my car doesn't have working brakes, then I risk the lives of others, and I have no right to do so. If I choose not to wear a seatbelt, then I risk my own life, which I have every right to do.

Of course, if it's stipulated that President Bush, the Congress or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania owns me, I have no such right; I'd be risking their property. Some might rejoin by saying, "Williams, if you're not wearing a seatbelt, and don't do us the favor of dying in an accident and become an incapacitated vegetable, society will have to bear the expense of taking care of you." That's not a problem of liberty and self-ownership. It's a problem of socialism.

There's no moral case for forcing anyone to care for me for any reason. When we buy into socialism, we buy into paternalistic government. It reminds me of what my mother used to say during my rebellious adolescent years: "Boy, as long as you're living in my house and I'm paying the bills, you're going to do what I say!" Paternalism is OK for children, but is it suitable for adults? For those who agree with "Click It or Ticket" because it saves lives, would they agree with other possible lifesaving mandates?

Each year, obesity claims the lives of 300,000 Americans and adds over $100 billion to health care costs. Should government enforce a 2,000-calorie intake limit per day? There's absolutely no dietary reason to add salt to our meals. Salt can lead to hypertension-induced heart attacks that kill thousands. Should government outlaw salt consumption? Sedentary lifestyles have been shown to lead to shorter and less healthy lives. Should there be government-mandated exercise programs?

The justifications used for "Click It or Ticket" can easily provide the template for government control of our diets and other lifestyle features. Maybe I'm a bit out of touch with today's Americans. With the silence in the face of attacks on Burger King and McDonald's, alleging they cause obesity, maybe Americans are pining for more government control over their lives -- and "Click It Or Ticket" is just softening up the rest of us for what lies ahead in the future.

[KBCraig]

Walter Williams really needs to come to the Porcfest.

Kevin

[Happy Dude]

Seatbelt laws are great. It helps people stay safe. If you had every worked car wrecks like I did when I was a firefighter/emt. You would get a strong messeage that {SEATBELTS SAVE LIVES}

[Dreepa]

{SEATBELTS SAVE LIVES}

agreed

but making a law doesn't solve anything.  I read that NH has a higher rate of seatbelt usage than VT.  VT has a law and NH doesn't.

[Happy Dude]

{SEATBELTS SAVE LIVES}

agreed

but making a law doesn't solve anything.  I read that NH has a higher rate of seatbelt usage than VT.  VT has a law and NH doesn't.

So there is a reason for having that law now isn't there. But the seatbelt law is hardly enforced. And they need to work it over real good if there going to save more lives now.

[Dreepa]

How will having a law save lives?