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From: rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson)
Newsgroups: net.auto,net.legal
Subject: Re: Seatbelts for passengers
Message-ID: <806@burl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Aug-85 20:31:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: burl.806
Posted: Wed Aug 14 20:31:41 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 20-Aug-85 02:41:24 EDT
References: <535@brl-tgr.ARPA>
Reply-To: rcj@burl.UUCP (Curtis Jackson)
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T Technologies, Burlington NC
Lines: 25
Xref: linus net.auto:6657 net.legal:1729

In article <535@brl-tgr.ARPA> wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) writes:
>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).

I agree that it is ludicrous; unfortunately the trend in legislation lately
seems to be to extend ridiculous laws rather than repeal them.  If you ask
a legislator, "Why can't I make a U-turn at this intersection; I can make
one at this identical intersection?"; his response is likely to be a law
outlawing all U-turns within city limits rather than repealing the ban
on the one in question.
-- 

The MAD Programmer -- 919-228-3313 (Cornet 291)
alias: Curtis Jackson	...![ ihnp4 ulysses cbosgd mgnetp ]!burl!rcj
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