Seat Belts Don't Always Save Lives

In Minnesota, it has been illegal not to be wearing your seat belt, whether you're driving or not. Thanks to recent legislation, cops can now pull you over, issue you a ticket, and fine you 25 bucks if you're not buckled up. It's intended for the small percentage of those folks who believe "Click It Or Ticket" is just a suggestion.

Laws like this were created because the federal government has millions of dollars in highway funds ready to be given away to states, but won't release them unless the states pass laws that restrict people's behavior on the road. That's why we also have laws telling you not to smoke in the car, and to keep those brats of yours in the back strapped into bulky child seats.

Seat belts have been a proven factor in the survival rate of thousands of accident victims every year. The problem is that they have been oversold by law enforcement and their friends in the news media as the be-all and end-all of safety on the road. They're not.

People who drive drunk, speed and/or text-message behind the wheel are a far greater danger on the road than not buckling up. If you happen to run into any of them, seat belts aren't going to be of much use to you.

We always hear about the number of folks whose lives were saved while wearing seat belts in an accident. What about the ones who lost their lives, even though they were buckled up? Oh, I'm sorry. That information is classified.

The law enforcement official or hospital staffer who claims "I've never had to unbuckle the belt of a dead person" is either spouting the company line, or that person hasn't been on the job long enough.

(We're just wondering. Of the 13 people who perished when the 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed in 2007, how many of them were wearing their seat belts?)

Law enforcement and the news media need to be honest with people about the risks and benefits of wearing a seat belt, instead of just threatening them with tickets, fines and possible jail time. They also need to step up on the prosecution of those who cause accidents in the first place.

Just so you know, I wear my seat belt religiously, whether I'm driving or not (which, if you choose to write about topics like this, sounds like a mandatory disclaimer). But I have no illusions that being buckled is going to save me in case of an accident. There's no substitute for being careful out there.