Florida No seat belt now a ticketable offense

[Robert]

by that I mean the police can stop and ticket you for no seat belt. Like all things first the law to help save lives then the law to help save the finances. What a crock of ^^^^ especially when they first put the law into effect they said we will never make it a stoppable offense.

[john]

click it or ticket ...  its the law
billboard signs in texas
and they mean it !   

[asfltdncr]

On another website that I belong to, one of the members made a pretty relevant comment regarding riding without a helmet and I think we could add driving w/o seatbelts.He said you should be able to providing you have covered your burial expense because somebody is going to have to.Helmets and seatbelts save lives-put em on.

[alph]

This to is another way that the government will force national health care onto the American people. 

If you want big government health care, then YOU WILL follow their rules.  That means, no more cigarettes or chewing tobacco, no more kids with out being in a car seat, they will give you a ticket for not being buckled, next but not least, you will wear a helmet, whether you are riding a bicycle, skate board, down hill skiing, or a motor cycle.

They always through the money carrot in front of the failed state budget.
This is the first time Wisconsin got its budget in on time since 1977, why? Because the federal government wouldn’t give us any highway funding if they didn’t force us to include the seat belt law also! 

This is another reason why I’m so pissed at people for spending money they don’t have, or buying more then they can afford!  If you want to be free, then you shouldn’t owe anything to anyone!  CHINA IS NOW OUR BIGGEST CREDITOR! 

Man we’re stupid.

[FLAVALK]

They claim the law was put into place to save lives....BULL CRAP!

It's simply another revenue stream....a way for the state/cities to make additional dough.   Please don't piss on my leg and try telling me it's raining   What next? Will they ticket us for eating Big-Macs or smoking cigerettes? oh, yeah, a pack of cigeretts just went up $1.00 per pack today in Florida (don't really care cause I don't smoke)


Also, effective today, Florida drivers will pay more for their annual vehicle registrations, license renewals, vehicle plates and virtually everything else associated with getting behind the wheel.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orl-locfees-motorists-070109070109jul01,0,7203215.story


And get ready Seminole County, the school board just voted to raise the millage rate on yer property tax by 0.025%.

I've just about had it with Florida. However, I'm not sure it's better anywhere else.      


I'm sorry but it's all about the money....not safety.

Rant temporarily over  

[Strong Eagle]

This to is another way that the government will force national health care onto the American people. 

If you want big government health care, then YOU WILL follow their rules.  That means, no more cigarettes or chewing tobacco, no more kids with out being in a car seat, they will give you a ticket for not being buckled, next but not least, you will wear a helmet, whether you are riding a bicycle, skate board, down hill skiing, or a motor cycle.

They always through the money carrot in front of the failed state budget.
This is the first time Wisconsin got its budget in on time since 1977, why? Because the federal government wouldn’t give us any highway funding if they didn’t force us to include the seat belt law also! 

This is another reason why I’m so pissed at people for spending money they don’t have, or buying more then they can afford!  If you want to be free, then you shouldn’t owe anything to anyone!  CHINA IS NOW OUR BIGGEST CREDITOR! 

Man we’re stupid.

What a great, non sequitur stretch!  Our health care system is broke and you equate it to a seat belt law!  How great is that????

You can't answer some simple questions, I bet.

a)  Why is health insurance the responsibility of an employer?
b)  Why should people who lose their jobs lose their health insurance?
c)  Why are we paying 33 percent of health care costs for the administration of insurance?
d)  Why are American businesses penalized in the global marketplace because no other business has to cover health care costs?

When you think about it, the American system is idiotic.  BUSINESS covers health care, which puts them at a disadvantage to all others.  Why is business saddled with this responsibility?

When you think about it, the American system is idiotic.  Why should a worker lose benefits because they lost a job.  Look at Fiddle Mike... works for years... loses insurance...and he is a f*cked duck.  Why?

"Force national health care on the people"?  what kind of dumb ass statement is that?  The administration has proposed a public payer to compete with private firms... they are fighting it tooth and nail because they think it would take business from them.  What does that say?  They are worried that the government could be more efficient than they are.

You want to continue with private insurance?  No problem, no change... so what is with this kind of dumb ass statement?
 

[John Schmidt]

They could, and did, stop you before this law if they saw you without a belt on. Ask any cop. Before retirement, I worked with four retired cops in our State Revenue investigation dept. and they told me the same thing. They see you without a belt on and their ticket quota is lacking, all they have to do is follow you a few blocks, then pull you over for some stupid little moving violation. Then at the same time, hit you with the "no seat belt" infraction...which is the main reason they stopped you in the first place. My stepsons thought it a joke when I told them about it, the oldest found out about three days later it was true.

As I've stated in the past.....seatbelts and helmets aren't nearly as confining as a wheelchair.

Just my opinion.

[f6john]

This to is another way that the government will force national health care onto the American people. 

If you want big government health care, then YOU WILL follow their rules.  That means, no more cigarettes or chewing tobacco, no more kids with out being in a car seat, they will give you a ticket for not being buckled, next but not least, you will wear a helmet, whether you are riding a bicycle, skate board, down hill skiing, or a motor cycle.

They always through the money carrot in front of the failed state budget.
This is the first time Wisconsin got its budget in on time since 1977, why? Because the federal government wouldn’t give us any highway funding if they didn’t force us to include the seat belt law also! 

This is another reason why I’m so pissed at people for spending money they don’t have, or buying more then they can afford!  If you want to be free, then you shouldn’t owe anything to anyone!  CHINA IS NOW OUR BIGGEST CREDITOR! 

Man we’re stupid.

What a great, non sequitur stretch!  Our health care system is broke and you equate it to a seat belt law!  How great is that????

You can't answer some simple questions, I bet.

a)  Why is health insurance the responsibility of an employer?
b)  Why should people who lose their jobs lose their health insurance?
c)  Why are we paying 33 percent of health care costs for the administration of insurance?
d)  Why are American businesses penalized in the global marketplace because no other business has to cover health care costs?

When you think about it, the American system is idiotic.  BUSINESS covers health care, which puts them at a disadvantage to all others.  Why is business saddled with this responsibility?

When you think about it, the American system is idiotic.  Why should a worker lose benefits because they lost a job.  Look at Fiddle Mike... works for years... loses insurance...and he is a f*cked duck.  Why?

"Force national health care on the people"?  what kind of dumb ass statement is that?  The administration has proposed a public payer to compete with private firms... they are fighting it tooth and nail because they think it would take business from them.  What does that say?  They are worried that the government could be more efficient than they are.

You want to continue with private insurance?  No problem, no change... so what is with this kind of dumb ass statement?
 

A. I'm self employed so who pays? When I worked for a company I never held a gun to anyone's head and said "health insurance or else". No company is "responsible" for health insurance unless it is voluntary or a union agreement. Last year my business was so bad I had to drop my health insurance, is that your problem? No. I'm responsible for my bills.

B. Because they can no longer afford the premiums.

C. Because the insurance industry is playing the governments game. Do you realize that the government guarantees that insurance companies make a profit? As their costs go up whether admin or fraud all they have to do is adjust their rates. No incentive to control costs.

D. Really! We're penalized in the market place due to trade agreements that are as stupid as your assumptions

Have you thought about the level of cost a government health care system will cost? You can be sure Obama has. That system would probably produce enough government jobs to wipe out most of the unemployment numbers.

I want to hear your details of how this would work. Put up or shut up.   

[Jeff K]

On another website that I belong to, one of the members made a pretty relevant comment regarding riding without a helmet and I think we could add driving w/o seatbelts.He said you should be able to providing you have covered your burial expense because somebody is going to have to.Helmets and seatbelts save lives-put em on.

This blows me away. Helmets and seat belts save lives? Well, your are a lot less likely to die in a car wreck than a motorcycle wreck, so using your logic motorcycles should be outlawed.
Artificial Christmas trees save lives too, should we ban real Christmas trees? Where does it stop?

[FLAVALK]

a)  Why is health insurance the responsibility of an employer? It shouldn't be. Companies offer this as an extended benefit....it's not a requirement. Health insurance should be a personal responsibility, just like auto insurance. We the people should NOT have to pay for YOUR medical expenses.
b)  Why should people who lose their jobs lose their health insurance? See above for answer. There are medical services available to those w/out insurance. Go to any non-private hospital ER for proof.
c)  Why are we paying 33 percent of health care costs for the administration of insurance? I can't say if your numbers are accurate or not. If they are, then it's too much. Let's fix this part.
d)  Why are American businesses penalized in the global marketplace because no other business has to cover health care costs? Are we? I don't think this is the reason

The health "crisis" in this country is largely the result of leeches sucking the system dry. Illigals play a part as do those who either don't/won't work and rather take advantage of free services Then there are those who work but refuse to pay the premium for insurance available to them. Here where I work, we have reasonable insurance premiums but half the employees choose not to pay their share and rely on "free" health care at the local clinic. They will go to the ER for the least little thing.

Bet you can't answer this simple question...why do people (who can afford to do so,) from countries offering government healtcare come to this country for treatment?

Like the saying goes, "If you think health care sucks now, wait until it's free"

[G-Man]

What a great, non sequitur stretch!  Our health care system is broke and you equate it to a seat belt law!  How great is that????

You can't answer some simple questions, I bet.

a)  Why is health insurance the responsibility of an employer? 
b)  Why should people who lose their jobs lose their health insurance?
c)  Why are we paying 33 percent of health care costs for the administration of insurance?
d)  Why are American businesses penalized in the global marketplace because no other business has to cover health care costs?

 What does that say?  They are worried that the government could be more efficient than they are.
[/quote]

a) It's not the responsibility of the employer.  It is a tool for the employer to attract employees.  In my industry, those who are not offered health insurance by their employer generally make more money.  Group health insurance is also a way of keeping premiums down as compared to individual policies (a good thing)

b) Why should employers have to cover the cost of people who are no longer employed by them?  Insurance is maintained by the employer for a certain amount of time post employment, then another policy, such as Cobra is offered.  Why shouldn't the cost of post employment insurance be covered by the individual?  If I had a small locksmith shop that employed me and 4 others and we had a group policy that covered us and our families, and business was really slow and I had to let someone go, should it be my responsibility to cover the cost of the ex-employee's health insurance until they are offered it by someone else.  No way!  What if this person got hurt and couldn't come back to work for me when business got better?  Should I still have to cover his health insurance plus the insurance of the new employee I had to hire.  Not all employers are large corporations.

c) A huge part of this crap is due to Doctors, other health care providers, and health care institutions being such lousy business people.  These entities decided to allow insurance companies and the government (medicare/medicaid) to dictate their fees.  Also, the insurance companies and the governemnt are masters at playing games with payments.  So much so that doctors and other providers have to hire or contract firms to do their billing for them in order to just get paid.  They'll get paid for something one week, then all of a sudden it's not being paid the next because they changed the way you need to bill for it, without even informing you.  It's a game that costs a lot of time and a lot of money.  Now, who should cover this cost?  It's YOUR insurance company playing the game, shouldn't YOU have to cover the cost?  Why should the doctor lose a percentage of his fee just to get YOUR insurance company to pay him?  If we went back to fee for service, this would change.  Imagine having to pay for the physical exam at the time it is done.  Just like you had to pay for that pair of sneakers at the time you left the sporting goods store.  Or paid for the stitches because you weren't careful when you were trimming the hedges, just like you had to pay for the flat tire when you drove on the shoulder to avoid traffic?  Then the doctor completed YOUR insurance form and YOU sent it in to YOUR insurance company and YOU waited to get paid.  Then YOU had to fight with YOUR insurance company, not the doctor (it's not HIS insurance company afterall) because this week they're not covering your kid's allergy shot.  Imagine all of the time and money saved by the providers if they didn't have to do, or hire someone to do, all this for YOU.  To make it easier for YOU.  It would cost less to provide service if the service was paid for without the hassels.

d) Because Amercan businesses are not very good business people. Aaaaaand, Unions are not in it for the workers.  Unions are in it for the Unions.  The workers go on strike without pay, but the Union employees still get paid.  A plant closes and workers are out of work, but the Union is still employed.

And finally......worried about government being more efficient????????????  In what lifetime has this EVER been the case.  The government, especially the US government has proven over and over again how INEFFICENT it is at everything it does.  History has shown that the government will hire more, and spend more, and take longer to get it done than private industry.  Politicians are not business people.  They are lawyers who become business brokers, not business men. 

[DIGGER]

One of my favorite quotes......................

A SEATBELT WON'T SAVE YOUR LIFE
IF IT'S GODS WILL THAT YOU DIE IN AN AUTO ACCIDENT.

HOWEVER, IT WILL SAVE YOU A LOT OF PAIN
IF ALL HE WAS TRYING TO DO WAS WRECK YOUR CAR.

[Chrisj CMA]

Very true Digger....I have never actually heard it put that way, but I always say our days are numbered, when we actually die is (for the most part) set by God from the beginning but the quality of our life inbetween birth and death is largely up to us.......I like being able to use all my appendages so I will wear my helmet and seatbelt whether its required or not.

BTW in my crash last Thur......the seatbelt saved my life

[Momz]

Michigan has a seat belt and a helmet law.

Although it is not often enforced, you can be ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt on a motorcycle. Think I'm kidding? The seat belt law makes no disdinction between cars, trucks, or motorcycles. Motorcycles are often ticketed when the State Police (gestapo) have saftey check lanes set up during holiday travel times. ABATE is trying to exclude the motorcycles from this stupid ledgeslation, but as yet has not been sucessful.

And our helmet law is a joke as well. The State Police are charged with the responsibility to compile a list of all "approved" helmets, yet they refuse to compile and test for approval. To prove the idiocy of our helmet law, ABATE has taken several metro Detroit cummunities to court and as of 2003 there are at least 10 cities that will refuse to write non-compliance tickets for helmetless riders.

As a personal protest to our helmet law, I wore a full-face helmet while driving my pick up truck. Yes, I got three tickets in less than two hours. I sucessfully fought two tickets in the local courts and one has been bumped up to an appellate court.

Stupid ledgeslation is the result of politicians trying to justify their positions. Common sense has nothing to do with most laws. 

[john]

HOWEVER, IT WILL SAVE YOU A LOT OF PAIN
IF ALL HE WAS TRYING TO DO WAS WRECK YOUR CAR ...       

[alph]

Mr. Eagle.

First off, it’s hard to have an intelligent conversation with an individual that calls someone else a dumb ass, so, I’m not going to waste my time in trying to communicate with you.

Second off, we can see already how well our government handles welfare and the social security systems.  What makes you think they’re going to improve on health care system.

Third.  Why do I have to take care of people that don’t care about taking care of them selves?  If they’re dumb enough to drive without a seat belt, let them handle the accident bills! 

For all the other individuals out there that will read my post, get use to people like “eagle” that’s what you get when a person is indoctrinated by liberal professors at Rice.

Dumb ass, really?

[f6john]

 Has anyone noticed that StrongEagle never responds to logical answers to his thought provoking questions? Maybe he has problems processing common sense responses.

Anyway to the subject at hand. I may be dumb, I may be a dumb ass, as I choose not to wear a seat belt and usually only wear a helmet in states that require them. But for the time being I am a free man and exercise my right to choose. Some say that future wars will be fought over water, something we take pretty much for granted. I say we take our freedom for granted. The availability of both may be getting in short supply, it's time for all of us to examine our positions on a multitude of issues.

[Chrisj CMA]

Has anyone noticed that StrongEagle never responds to logical answers to his thought provoking questions? Maybe he has problems processing common sense responses.

Anyway to the subject at hand. I may be dumb, I may be a dumb ass, as I choose not to wear a seat belt and usually only wear a helmet in states that require them. But for the time being I am a free man and exercise my right to choose. Some say that future wars will be fought over water, something we take pretty much for granted. I say we take our freedom for granted. The availability of both may be getting in short supply, it's time for all of us to examine our positions on a multitude of issues.

John, I applaud your love for the few freedoms we still have power to claim.  However, I am struggling with this issue in larger scale.  It seems there are others like you that in the name of "a free country" dont wear helmets or seatbelts, I have no problem with you on that  (at least in FL it may start costing) if you are willing to pay the ticket when you are caught in violation.  I do not agree the laws are fair but they are what they are.

My issue is that many of us are willing to take on these quiet protests even when they hurt ouselves, but when is the time (has it already come?) how do we know when it its the time to run the morons out of washington.  Dont get me wrong, I am not making a political statement...this is not a party thing dems or rep....this is a matter of the constitution and our freedom

Both sides of the isle have done things to infringe on our rights.  All the talk of a new tax on just about everything to pay for stuff they arent even sure how to do or if they should do is scary.  Our deficit is larger than anyone ever dreamed it could grow to and it has more than doubled in the last 6 months

all of us that will protest for our freedom, will we actually go fight the SOB's in washington when that time comes, and I fear it is coming????????

[f6john]

In my 6th grade civics class Mr. Cox made a point of teaching us that, " your rights extend to the end of your nose and end at the beginning of my nose".  Now my rights are determined by which way the wind blows in our houses of government. I know the bible teaches us to follow mans laws as well as his laws so I am being a civil disobedient. Seatbelts and helmets save lives I'm sure. They should be strong suggestions, not laws IMHO. Kentucky changed their helmet laws about the time I got back into riding. I have a problem with "laws" that can be changed on a whim. Yesterday if I rode without a helmet I was a lawbreaker but today it's ok???  What changed?  Imagine, yesterday armed robbery is a big no-no but today, it's not! The government has more important and pressing matters to deal with than whether you or I are wearing a helmet or not.

I'll bet Mr. Cox would be impressed to know I remembered anything he said in 1964!

[asfltdncr]

Michigan has a seat belt and a helmet law.

Although it is not often enforced, you can be ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt on a motorcycle. Think I'm kidding? The seat belt law makes no disdinction between cars, trucks, or motorcycles. Motorcycles are often ticketed when the State Police (gestapo) have saftey check lanes set up during holiday travel times. ABATE is trying to exclude the motorcycles from this stupid ledgeslation, but as yet has not been sucessful.

And our helmet law is a joke as well. The State Police are charged with the responsibility to compile a list of all "approved" helmets, yet they refuse to compile and test for approval. To prove the idiocy of our helmet law, ABATE has taken several metro Detroit cummunities to court and as of 2003 there are at least 10 cities that will refuse to write non-compliance tickets for helmetless riders.

As a personal protest to our helmet law, I wore a full-face helmet while driving my pick up truck. Yes, I got three tickets in less than two hours. I sucessfully fought two tickets in the local courts and one has been bumped up to an appellate court.

Stupid ledgeslation is the result of politicians trying to justify their positions. Common sense has nothing to do with most laws. 

Why would the state police be responsible for the testing of helmets?Most states (if not all) would accept any helmet that is DOT certified.They, among others, test helmets.

[Momz]

The way the MI law is written, the MSP must compile a list of "approved" helmets.

All helmet manufacturers have stipulations that limit the useful life of their products.

The DOT has written a set of manufacturing standards and testing procedures. The DOT has never specified a Pass/Fail criteria for any US made helmet. The DOT is a Federal agency that does not approve or certify a helmets effectiveness.

That is left up to the manufacturer, and to identify what sections of the standard it claims to pass. A helmet manufacturer may install a DOT label, but my only pass a minor standard, such as "reflectivity", or "noise abatement (dBa)" at a given wind speed.

Thus the DOT sticker on your helmet as well as the manufacture date should be carefully inspected by the purchaser/wearer. Find out if you are really as safe as that sticker makes you think you are.

Common sense and defensive riding are your best way to avoid accidents. Laws tend to make people complacent.