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Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!brl-tgr!wmartin
From: wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin )
Newsgroups: net.auto,net.legal
Subject: Seatbelts for passengers
Message-ID: <535@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 8-Aug-85 16:06:04 EDT
Article-I.D.: brl-tgr.535
Posted: Thu Aug  8 16:06:04 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Aug-85 05:36:51 EDT
Distribution: net
Organization: USAMC ALMSA, St. Louis, MO
Lines: 19
Xref: linus net.auto:6516 net.legal:1635

Most state mandatory-seatbelt laws I have heard of require that both the
driver and the *front-seat* passenger(s) be belted in. We have seen lots
of net postings detailing the arguments as to why the drivers should be
belted, mostly related to controlling the car in various circumstances.
But I have not read any good explanation for requiring it of the
passenger(s) -- if it relates to an unbelted passenger flying about the
car during an accident, and this making it harder for an even-belted-in
driver to control the car, it should apply to ALL passengers, not just
those in the front seat (I would think that the rear-seat bodies, coming
at the back of the driver's head, would contribute more to loss of
control than the side-collisions from an unbelted front-seat passenger,
actually).

So, is there any real justification for the inclusion of specifically
front-seat passengers in these laws? Has the legality of requiring the
belting of an adult passenger (lets ignore child-seat laws here) been
tested in court anywhere? 

Will