Racers, fans, track personnel & owners....

[carolwicks]

i hope you all have a wonderful and safe weekend. even if mother nature doesnt allow racing, it is a wonderful time to spend with family and friends. stay safe and eat lots of good BBQ...
starting june, florida law enforcement will be stopping and citating us for not buckling up. guess some of us better start practicing huh? ;-) a little girl in haileys class just lost her mother and father in a tragic accident .. the little girl (6) and her 4 yr. old brother were in the back seat buckled up... she watched her parents die while she tried to get all the glass of her little brother... if her parents were wearing their belts they MIGHT be here today. i sit with her on wednesdays when i go to have lunch with the kids... it is heart wrenching as she really misses her parents.
just something to think about. our carelessness can cause our loved ones so much sorrow...
so with that i wish you happiness and love and a BLAST this Memorial weekend. PLEASE don't forget the people who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy !!! and the people who are far away doing the same thing. our precious AMERICAN soldiers!
carolwicks aka OZ

[Mark Keeler]

OPINION - Well I just think it's ridiculous that the Sate Government thinks its more dangerous to ride in a car without a seatbelt than to ride a motorcycle without a helmet...

They can stop and ticket someone in a Hummer with no belt, but not a guy on a Vespa with nothing covering his skull... just doesn't sound right... who wins that battle in a wreck, the Hummer or the Vespa?

I understand what you are saying Carol,... I try to participate myself [when I see a Crown Vic nearby]... I just don't agree with the Law and the two-faced nature of it.

I can do more to save my own life by driving properly, safely and staying alert to my surroundings than the belt will do!

[ALASKA54]

I wear mine and ask my passengers to also. What I can't understand is why pass new laws when the old ones aren't enforced. I see people driving in the dark with PARKING LIGHTS on. I see people driving in heavy rain with NO LIGHTS ON. I see parents with children in their laps driving. I thought there was a law against p/u trucks 6 feet in the air.

[Mark Keeler]

When I drove a cab around Disney I used to constantly see people with little kids in their laps or standing between the front seats... I started calling cops on them... but it was feeble at best... That has ALWAYS gotten under my skin.

I do make Kid's wear them when riding with me, but I figure Adults can make their own decision...

Just compare odds... If you smoke [which I do], what are the odds that will kill you? and it's legal [and funnels a TON of money into government]

If you drive or ride without a seatbelt, what are the odds there?

[carolwicks]

i am with you!

i never wear a seat belt because it digs in my neck and i break out. however, i will wear one because i cant afford to pay a bunch of tickets.
i think it should be a matter of choice but if you get hurt or killed then your insurance should not have to pay you... so many people are alive now because they were strapped in. so many bikers are alive because their heads didnt split open.. there are a bunch of excuses and examples...
i think air bags are extremely dangerous. i think they could come up with a safer buffer between a person and a windshield..
hey guys... tell us about the pros and cons of seatbelts and helmets. personal experiences... maybe your post could save a life...
carelessness causes wrecks. ive been driving since 1955 and i have never had so much as a fender bender... i am always looking all aound me and i can anticipate when someone will do something stupid. i never tailgate! i always leave room for error. i have one ticket on my record. in the early 80s i was driving at 2 am from palm beach on HYWY 80... i got a ticket for driving 80 mph and there wasnt another car in sight.......its stupid but driving skills are more important than seat belts. people need to pay more attention.. No freaking cell phones. we lived without them for thousands of years and now all of a sudden they are as important as water and air! roflll. its good tho because if we break down its easy to get help...but just for fun conversation ... NO WAY! we all do it...
ive seen elderly people (in their 80s)driving who get into a wheelchair and their eye glasses look like coke bottles... i think they should have to take tests yearly ...and not be allowed to drive at night. it isnt because i dont sympathize... its hard for old people to get around. especially if they are alone. but if the are a danger to others, then we need to find a way to help them! not bitch at them.
well i think i need to do something more useful so adios for now... be safe...
OZ

[bubba]

Not wearing a seat belt is a dumb risk - take it if you want, but to do so is knowingly increasing you chances for serious injury or death. Everyone should drive safer, but the reality is that in nearly every wreck, there is someone who screwed up and someone who didnt do anything wrong. So even if you are god's gift to the highways, the jackass in the yellow hummer strung out on pharmaceuticals isnt and if he hits you, you will wish you had your seatbelt on.

I like the personal responsibility side of the argument - however, do you really think that when you are out of work - busted up from an accident after not wearing a seat belt - that you will just say "well, i had that coming". I am doubting it - our courts will get further clogged all from something that might have been preventable.

[JackTripper]

I can't imagine driving without my seat belt on. Twice (most recently on my birthday this year) I've been rear-ended at great speed by people not paying attention (once was a moving truck) and my car was a total write-off each time. Both times my seat belt saved me from ambulance rides. Both times I was just sitting at a red light minding my own business.

There are too many idiots on the roads to not wear your seatbelt in my humble opinion.

[Jane]

Carol - my seatbelt use to do that but I bought one of those lamb skin covers that go over the belt and that helps alot. I think I got it at WalMart and it might help you.

Unless you have been in a wreck where people have died, you might not appreciate seatbelts. But I have been in a wreck where two people died only because they did not have their seatbelts on. My mom, my brother and I were all belted in. My mom was hurt and also my brother but I was the lucky one and was belted in in the backseat and not hurt. I was however in shock and walked over to the car where the dead people were and looked in. Something you will never forget.

You can be as careful driver as there is but it does not mean all the other idiots on the road are careful. In some circumstances, seatbelts may hurt more than they help but most of the time, they do help. So please buckle up and make sure your kids are also.

Mark - I don't agree with the helmet law either. I think if you want to ride one of those things, you need to have a helmet on. How many people have died because they did not have one and if they had had one, they might still be here. Even kids on bikes are to wear helmets yet no one really enforces that one either. Maybe they are hot and uncomfortable but it is better to be alive than dead for sure.

Anyway, everyone have a safe and happy holiday.

[carolwicks]

and then..

there are bikers who died of broken necks caused by helmets... or they couldnt hear or some other darned thing... the whole thing is that just about all accidents are caused by carelessness and stupidity and it isnt going to change as long as cars are built to go 200 MPH in 75 MPH speed limits and people like me have a need for speed...... lol
i agree with bubba... no matter what you do , when it gets to court someone will pay... and NO ONE and NOTHING will bring back those who die or are mutilated and have to live... so its probably a very good idea to buckle up and get used to it. if we are mature enough to drive then we should be mature enough to do the safe thing without laws. if we dont then laws help because it costs tax payers, hospitals, families and everyone involved... everyone pays for idiots! and i really feel like one right now. lol i have the most pricelss people in my van when i travel and even tho they are safely buckled, if im not and something happens, they are alone to deal with it... just like little Crystal.. ;-( i will buckle up now.
carol

[Winger]

Sorry, I just don't understand the mentality of not wearing a seat belt. I was involved in Emergency Services for over 25 years in New York State. I saw the implementation of the seat belt law there. I went to accidents after the law was passed and saw victims walking around examining their cars. Cars that were totaled and very probably would have been fatal accidents if the person hadn't been wearing a seat belt. I have been in 2 accidents that were not my fault, and the car was totaled. I'm sure the seat belt saved me from injury and probably much worse. As far as you being able to make the choice and live with the consequences, we all know that you may make the choice but we all live with the consequences. Insurance rates climb for all, mental anguish for the families of the victims, trauma for all those witnesses including the emergency and police. Some one needs to care for the victims and the victims families. The same goes for the helmet law. I just don't understand why people don't wear them. I was amazed when I moved to Florida and started hearing all the news reports of fatal motorcycle accidents where the victim wasn't wearing a helmet. The amazing thing is so many of these accidents are caused by someone else. Why take a chance?

[Mark Keeler]

Just so everyone knows... I have NOTHING against seatbelts... I DO have something against Government telling me what to do... almost entirely because of their stance on Helmets. What's good for one should be good for all...

I firmly believe in following driving laws... I have had my license for 16 years with no citations and thankfully no 'at fault' accidents [and was a 'professional' driver for 4 of those years]... I feel I'm one of the few people left in this Country that understands that driving is a privilege and NOT a right... but, that being said... when they change their stance on helmets... I'll change my opinion on the seatbelt 'Law'!