Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site brl-tgr.ARPA 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