Poll: Should Missouri Require Seatbelt Use For Back-seat Passengers?
Each new year brings new laws and 2012 was no exception. Residents on the east side of the region now face a stricter seatbelt law:
Illinois is the latest state to require back-seat passengers to buckle up. Twenty-five other states and the District of Columbia require all rear-seat occupants to wear seat belts, according to IIHS. All states except New Hampshire mandate belt use by front-seat occupants. (USA Today)
I’ve long been a seatbelt advocate, always requiring my passengers to buckle up. In the backseat of other’s cars I wear the seatbelt. But not everyone does and now Illinois is the latest state to require backseat passengers to buckle up, the goal to save lives. But some may see this as government going too far.
It was hard to find a good summary of Missouri’s existing seatbelt law, the following pertains to kids:
Missouri car seat safety laws require children under age four and under 40 pounds to ride in a federally approved child car seat that is appropriate for the child’s age and size. Children ages 4 through 7 who weigh more than 40 pounds but less than 80 pounds or are not at least 4’9″ tall must ride in an appropriate child car seat or booster seat. Children ages 8 to 18 must wear a seat belt. Missouri law also prohibits children under age 18 from riding in an unenclosed truck bed. (About.com)
According to Wikipedia Missouri requires people in front seats to wear seat belts. The poll question this week asks if Missouri should require seatbelt use for back-seat passengers.
– Steve Patterson
Rear-seat and front-seat shotgun seat belt laws protect your passengers. Driver’s position seat belts laws protect you against yourself. Cell phone laws will protect you from harming me. If you fail to force all your passengers to buckle up and they are injured in an accident and you are the driver, you should be held fully responsible. If you kill or injure someone and you are texting or talking on your phone, you should be held fully responsible.
Rear-seat and front-seat shotgun seat belt laws protect your passengers. Driver’s position seat belts laws protect you against yourself. Cell phone laws will protect you from harming me. If you fail to force all your passengers to buckle up and they are injured in an accident and you are the driver, you should be held fully responsible. If you kill or injure someone and you are texting or talking on your phone, you should be held fully responsible.
Seatbelts are cheap insurance, but you can’t fix stupid. Adding rear-seat passengers to the current law will have minimal impact in changing behaviors since, in Missouri, not wearing one’s seatbelt is not a primary offense, ie, a police officer cannot stop you just for that, they need to stop you for something else, like speeding, before they can issue a seatbelt citation. It would be kinda like outlawing texting – enforcement would be sparodic, at best. But since it might help positively change behaviors among a minority of the population, it’s probably one of those feel-good laws that should and will be passed. Unfortunately, it will also likely be enforced more after-the-fact, instead of proactively, much like how leaving a kid or a pet in a car only results in enforcement on hot days, usually after the kid/pet is dead or seriously ill.
Seatbelts are cheap insurance, but you can’t fix stupid. Adding rear-seat passengers to the current law will have minimal impact in changing behaviors since, in Missouri, not wearing one’s seatbelt is not a primary offense, ie, a police officer cannot stop you just for that, they need to stop you for something else, like speeding, before they can issue a seatbelt citation. It would be kinda like outlawing texting – enforcement would be sparodic, at best. But since it might help positively change behaviors among a minority of the population, it’s probably one of those feel-good laws that should and will be passed. Unfortunately, it will also likely be enforced more after-the-fact, instead of proactively, much like how leaving a kid or a pet in a car only results in enforcement on hot days, usually after the kid/pet is dead or seriously ill.
Both of you I feel are correct. By now, if people don’t understand the safety of a belt, they never will.  Of course, I don’t wear one unless it’s raining. But I take that responsibilty. A passenger cannot take responsibility for the driver, so in the back seat, it’s everyone for themselves.
Both of you I feel are correct. By now, if people don’t understand the safety of a belt, they never will. Of course, I don’t wear one unless it’s raining. But I take that responsibilty. A passenger cannot take responsibility for the driver, so in the back seat, it’s everyone for themselves.
Illinois’ helmet-free motorcycle law is ok, but they want to save lives with a backseat belt law? Ridiculous.
Illinois’ helmet-free motorcycle law is ok, but they want to save lives with a backseat belt law? Ridiculous.
That fact that the rear seat passengers weren’t part of the original law is embarrassing.  Also crazy is the fact that it isn’t a primary law….come on Missouri, get your crap together!
Additionally…..While I love my booze I’m the first to admit that Missouri NEEDS to fix it’s open container policies.  It’s a small miracle that drinking and driving is illegal in this state.
That fact that the rear seat passengers weren’t part of the original law is embarrassing. Also crazy is the fact that it isn’t a primary law….come on Missouri, get your crap together!
Additionally…..While I love my booze I’m the first to admit that Missouri NEEDS to fix it’s open container policies. It’s a small miracle that drinking and driving is illegal in this state.
Why would you support making seat belt laws a primary offense? There aren’t enough reasons to pull someone over already?
It’s the law so why not? If you disregard the law (and your own safety) by not wearing a seat belt your many more times likely to be doing other illegal things…..at least that’s they way the RCMP explained it to me when I was a kid; and they know a thing or two about law enforcement….I’m sure things don’t swing to differently down here.
You seem to be saying it should be the law because it is the law.
Why would you support making seat belt laws a primary offense? There aren’t enough reasons to pull someone over already?
It’s the law so why not?   If you disregard the law (and your own safety) by not wearing a seat belt your many more times likely to be doing other illegal things…..at least that’s they way the RCMP explained it to me when I was a kid; and they know a thing or two about law enforcement….I’m sure things don’t swing to differently down here.
I only care about this because it’s a microcosm of how our society has almost abandoned the idea of freedom. Of course everyone should wear their seatbelt. I wear mine, and I think families should encourage each other to wear them. But it’s none of the government’s damned business, and these laws just show that we’re losing what made America unique and great.