New Seat Belt law for Minnesota
Starting Tuesday, June 9, 2009 Minnesota has a new seat belt law. The old seat beat law, which has been in effect for quite some time now, was that a cop could only give you a ticket for a seat belt violation, only if you were originally involved in some other kind of traffic violation that lead to your stop by the police.
But... the new law is that no matter what and no matter where, you HAVE to wear your seat belt, otherwise a cop can pull you over and ticket you. You do not have to be doing anything wrong, except not wearing your seat belt now.
Also, the old law stated that adults in the front seat needed to wear their seat belt. But adults in the back seat, were not required to. With the new law, EVERYONE in the car, needs to have their seat belts on, too.
The fines for the violation of wearing yoru seat belt start at $25 and can go up, depending on the county. The DPS believes that this will drastically reduce the amount of serious injuries and even deaths due to car crashes. This law ties in with the other new law that is going to go into effect on July 1, 2009 that all children under the age of 8, or under 4' 9" need to be in a booster seat so that the seat belt falls across them correctly.
So from now on, do not ignore the flashing, red seat belt guy, that always dings when you do not put your seat belt on right away. Now he is there to not only save your life, in case of a crash, but to save you time and money from getting pulled over and ticketed.
Oh, so while cops are busy giving out seat belt tickets... supposedly in the name of safety... will they still have time to address the main issue that causes lapses in safety, the unsafe, reckless, inconsiderate, or outright intoxicated drivers? Probably not. The cause of someone's death in a car accident is not that they weren't wearing a seat belt. The cause was someone deciding they alone do not have to follow traffic laws directly related operating a motor vehicle. The cause of someone's death is someone deciding that they could have "just one more" at the bar before heading home. The cause of a child's death is someone who can't wait to take a phone call when they are parked safely or at home and is distracted by their cell phone. The cause, people, is those who feel whatever they need to do is more important that it justifies ignoring traffic laws such as speed limits, stop signs, or perhaps using a turn signal once in awhile. No, traffic deaths are not, my friends, caused by those who do not wear a seat belt.
I am glad to see this law pass. I don't believe that most people see that if they lose control of their vehicle that the seatbelt will keep them in position (control) behind the wheel. This keeps the driver and other vehicles in the area at less chance of being injuried or a fatality to occur. I believe this law will reduce death and injury.
This law may save lives but it a gross power grab by the state and sets the groundwork for them to regulate other parts of my life that may not be healthy. May I eat a hamburger, must I do a morning cardio workout, do I have the choice...
Horrible law, one less choice I can make and one more step towards "A Brave New World."
Not only unconstitutional, but unsafe as well. I personally know people who would have been killed if they HAD BEEN strapped in.
Seems to me that this should be a personal choice. When did we become a police nation?
What next? Will I HAVE to listen to the radio just because it is in my vehicle? This is how stupid it has become.
Bring back freedom of choice, please!!!