It is a well documented fact that legislation lags behind automotive technology more often than not. There are many vehicular safety improvements floating around only in the imaginations of engineers. However, because legislators live many years in the past, they have not been able to be implemented. Those on the side of Libertarian values would argue, that it is no place of the (already too large) government to enforce laws that affect only the driver… to them I invite to read something else.
Let’s use the seat belt as an example. Before 1960, simple two point seat belts were more harmful than they were helpful. Interestingly, race car drivers already had even five point harnesses, so proof of concept was beyond proven. Yet, it was not until
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It was first introduced as traction control in the United States in 1971. Mercedes-Benz refined it 24 years later, by integrating it with anti-lock brakes. But there was no comprehensive law mandating its use until 2008.
Well before Takata turned airbags into claymore mines they were saving lives left and right. Despite being invented in the in the 70s, they were not made mandatory until 1997. Unfortunately, that had the downside of making the Land Rover Defender ineligible to be sold in the US. What is more interesting is that the United Kingdom did not demand cars be equipped with an airbag until just this year (that is why the Defender was retired there).
Those were clear, common (decency) sense automotive technology improvements that had no downside (other maybe a dollar to ten or so a car to install)… and they took at least 9 years to become a country-wide law. The fact that it had to be mandated before automakers made it ubiquitous is a whole other indictment entirely.
Most other automotive improvements, are not addressed so quickly. There are countless other improvements that could (and some say should) be made an imperative, but are not (yet). Features like: rearview cameras, infrared headlights, lane departure warnings (at least), and drowsiness
The law states that if you are caught not wearing a seat belt you could get fined up to five hundred dollars. The law should require people to wear seat belts. The law should require people to wear seat belts because it prevents people from getting killed or injured, it would make people want to wear seat belts while driving, and it would encourage passengers or other people to wear seat belts.
Imagine enjoying a movie at the cinemas, eating food at McDonalds, or even sitting in class with a group of friends at your local high school, while some individuals around you are carrying loaded firearms. Although this seems unbelievable, the United States Constitutions give people the right to acquire and carry firearms. It is ridiculous that they allow their citizens to carry handguns, such as pistols. This should be strictly limited, due to that they are made exclusively for protection or the police. Due to this law, the murder rate in the United States have increased and this allows children to handle guns and possible kill other family members or other children. Gut-wrenching events like this can happen in a blink of an eye.
More and more people are dying from those crucial disgusting accidents. People should understand that those crucial habits should not be tolerated and it cannot be done. Hopefully, this has been persuasive enough so that you don’t need to kill innocent people and you do not need to live with a miserable life. Driving is fun, but killing people is not. Hence, people can grow with some more aware driving skills, and simplify the deaths per year. If people stay away from texting while driving, impaired driving and speed
An enormous division currently exists between the people who believe that automobile safety should be an option and those that feel it must be a requirement. The federal government feels the morally obligated to create the safest driving environment possible. On the other end of the spectrum, opinions exist that the average driver has ability to make the choice of safety on their own. Editorials, political assemblies, debates, and conversations have arrived on the concept of click it or ticket. This idea refers to ticketing any motor vehicle driver and passenger that is not fastened by a seat belt. Arguments have been made for both sides, and have been reviewed in multiple states.
An airbag is a vehicle safety device. The airbag like seatbelts are occupant restraint system that consists of a flexible fabric bag, also known as an airbag cushion. The airbag module is designed to inflate rapidly then quickly deflate during a collision or impact with another object or a sudden deceleration. The purpose of the airbag is to provide occupant protection and restraint during a crash event.
Since the implementation of mandatory seat belt laws studies have shown that seat belt usage has increased while traffic fatalities have decreased. Seat belt usage rates increased from 17% to 79% in the U.S. between 1983 and 2003 (Houston & Richardson, 2006). All U.S. states except New Hampshire have mandatory seat belt laws for adults. Currently, there are two types of seat belt enforcement, primary and secondary. To date, 34 states have a primary enforcement law which allows a police officer to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle and issue a citation for no other reason than the fact that the driver is not wearing a seat belt. A benefit to a state having a primary enforcement law is that in 2016 seat belt usage was up 92% according to the CDC (2017).
Cars are now becoming much more aware and these cars are available to the general public. In 2005 there was a course for autonomous vehicles and no car completed a tenth of the course(Guerra). These cars can now park themselves, raise their wheels to avoid potholes, check if you are drifting out of your lane, check out your blind spots, they know if any object is behind you when you are backing up and most important Tesla released a car that could drive itself on highways. Eleven years ago cars like this were science fiction and in 20 years they might become commercially available (Guerra). This is the start of self-driving cars being in the hands of ordinary people and not a test group. Some people my opt out of owning a self-driving car, however they will still need to
There are still lots of problem researchers need to solve and improve on. But the whole idea of preventing drivers’ safety is absolutely positive and right. Maybe the researchers can create a tiny implant which is put into drivers’ brains that could force the drivers to use it all the time in the future, to achieve its aim of truly preventing drivers from accidents. Imagine how it looks like later, when you get to the car, it is already opened, and automatically closed when you leave them. Not only for cars, maybe they will also spread this technology on all the human devices like smartphone and computer.
lts saved morethan 211,000 lives nationwide.(Roeber). In 2005, had all passenger vehicle occupantsover age four used safety straps, an additional 5,300 lives would have been saved. Is itthat much trouble just to buckle up? Conversely, Automobile seat belts save lives anddo not violate civil rights, an Alberta judge has ruled. The judgment, by Provincial CourtJudge Hubert Oliver, is believed to be the first time in Canada that a judge has ruled onthe safety of the belts.(Cox). Seat belts became mandatory in Alberta last spring,despite an outcry from some people who believed they should not be forced to use thedevices. The law was challenged by Calgary motorcycle stunt man Kim Maier a fewweeks after it passed(Cox). One defense witness, John Adams of the University Collegein London, England, testified that in 13 countries he had studied where seat belt lawshad been introduced, there was no evidence that road injuries had reduced. InAustralia, the first country to introduce mandatory seat belt legislation (in 1970) fatalitiesamong pedestrians and cyclists rose, Dr. Adams
Hands-free driving in Austin is a law that we have that does not allow a person behind the wheel to have any type of electronic device on hand, I do follow this law. Therefore, I have no reason to want it overturned. I don’t allow my driver to handle their phone while they are behind the wheel, and the car is moving. If they need to text, call or take a pic I take care of it. I’m hands-free because I am seated on the passenger side, therefore I can handle the electronic devices. The needs are met and there are fewer chances of either party getting hurt.
Wreck less driving is constantly on a rise these days with the demand for competition in employment and crowding of roadways due to all the fellow motorists in a hurry to get
If not wearing a seat belt is illegal and punishable by law in that state, I think officers did have right to stop the person. I know it’s not how it is not sounding right, but if I am an officer while on duty and see something suspicious, I think I will act as if I work in that jurisdiction. Officers are also citizens, so applying citizen arrest shouldn’t be against them. It is also an officer call to whether the arrest is reasonable and he believes that he has a probable cause toward that arrest. I think if the officer believe a crime has been commited or the law have been violated, they have the reasonable right to stop. This is actually what community messed up with probable cause or reasonable cause. It is hard to understand the law correctly, because the public don’t always know the rights and the meaning of it. I sometime did think police shouln’t stop me without committing any fault. This was before I take this class, but now I understand that a reasonable
We have all heard the excuses before, "It's uncomfortable, I'm only going around the corner", I'd rather be thrown out of a car than be stuck in a seatbelt," and my favorite, "I'm a good driver I don't need to wear one." Well you may be a good driver but there are situations beyond your control such as bad weather, road conditions and not to mention other drivers that can affect your safety. Seat belts can mean the difference between life and death in an auto accident. Wearing a seat belt every time you enter a vehicle is not only the smart thing to do it is the right thing because it saves lives, it's the law and it will save you money.
An airbag is a vehicle safety device consisting of a flexible fabric bag, also known as an airbag cushion. The airbag module is designed to inflate rapidly then quickly deflate during a collision or impact with another object or a sudden deceleration. The purpose of the airbag is to provide occupant protection and restraint during a crash event.
Did you know that every hour, someone dies in a car crash for not wearing his or her seat belt? When you are driving or even riding in a vehicle, buckling your seat belt will decrease your chance of death or serious injury, if you are involved in a severe accident. Seat belts are there regarding to your safety and protection for the prevention of your life being in danger. In 2015, seat belt use in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 13,941 lives, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Seat Belts np). Recognizing the importance, consequences, and how an individual can deal with the problem are the key aspects to this solution.