Thursday, February 5, 2009

What Are They Thinking?




Today the Montana State Senate failed to pass Senate Bill 237. The bill would have passed a primary seat belt law, which has failed two other times. The bills sponsor, Dave Lewis hoped that the bill would have saved many Montana lives. Yesterday the bill passed by a narrow margin- 25-24, while today three of the idiotic senators changed their vote.

In 2007 the Montana Department of Transportation reported that 73% of the 276 people killed or 201 people, were not wearing seat belts. States that have passed primary seat belt laws, or laws which allow officers to stop a vehicle for not having persons buckled up, have shown a 13% increase in buckling up.

The costs of not wearing a seat belt are felt by all tax and insurance payers. Crash survivors that don't wear seat belts pay approx. $48,700 or more than twice as much as belted survivors ($20,700). According to Tim Schumacher, who represents AAA Montana, the economic cost of crashes in this state it $621 MILLION, or $688 for every state citizen. He added that 74% or $509 Million is paid by those not involved in the crash.

Some of the morons who opposed the bill spoke before the senate. Daniel McGee (Laurel) stated, "I submit to you folks, what you have in this bill: this opens the door to being pulled over for any reason at any time". Another genius, Jonathan Windy Boy (Box Elder) spoke about racial profiling. "Indians do get stopped for a lot of reasons, and I'm going to oppose this bill because I'm not going to give them another reason" moron stated.

The idiots who opposed this bill also screwed Montana citizens out of $5 million from the federal government for highway construction and road safety programs.

Perhaps these morons who oppose safety for Montana citizens should spend some time in local emergency departments, respond on ambulance calls, and talk to first responders who see the carnage and results of not wearing a seat belt. Maybe they should go to the scene of a car crash and see the damage that occurs when a body is slammed against the dash, windshield, and car frame as the unbuckled rider is thrown about. Perhaps they would change their opinion about the law when they saw smashed faces, traumatically amputated limbs, crushed internal organs, and other devastation as the body is thrown from the vehicle.


Maybe they need to sit in on one of the many Injury Prevention programs that I help with to encourage seat belt use and watch as kids grimace when they see the pictures of mangled bodies. In the program we speak of our co-worker Geoff, who died in a crash after rolling his pickup. Geoff wasn't wearing a seat belt and died of a head injury. Maybe the morons in the state senate need to see the pain in our faces as we talk about Geoff and how he is missed.

Maybe then they will figure out that life is too precious and the law will save lives.

Please wear your seat belt.





References and additional information-

http://www.montanasnewsstation.com/Global/story.asp?S=9797942

http://www.helenair.com/articles/2009/02/05/top/65st_090205_seatbelt.txt

http://data.opi.mt.gov/LEGBILLS/2007/Minutes/Senate/Exhibits/jus28aad.pdf

3 comments:

  1. We started wearing seatbelts in the late 1960s when Dad went to work for Continental Oil Pipeline. It was mandatory for Dad to do it at work and I suppose he brought "the habit" home. Anyway, I would feel naked if I didn't wear them. In ND, we have a summer camp for people with head injuries. Most -- if not all -- of the people at the camp have suffered their head injuries from car accidents. Also, a highway patrolman somewhere in my past told me to go to a car junkyard and look at all the cars. The thing that will be the most like new is the carseats because they are bolted down. His point is that if we wear our seatbelts, we too will be bolted down instead of flying around. Which sounds better. I like the racial profiling bit. That fellow would have liked to have read the front page of yesterday's Bismarck Tribune. Guess what racial group the 18 year old mother that starved her six-month-old baby to death. Or the man who wants a jury trial for his hit and run accident in the parking lot of a Mandan motel because he couldn't the state's attorney to agree to a plea deal. I don't what's wrong but I know something's not right.

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  2. Hey, is that you in the picture with bloody face? It's an uncanny resemblance. Maybe you are moonlighting as an actor in addition to going to college, working, writing a blog and taking photos at weddings.

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  3. You make a strong case!I wasn't able to see the debate on the seatbelt law,But if they didn't have folks like you who are in the field testify;they should have!Families of accident victims,Doctors,emergency room personal,and ambulance witnesses,should all have their time on the floor to make the case for seatbelts.The State representatives may not understand the affect,accident victims have on those involved in trying to save a life.Unless your up-close and see tragedy,it is easy to pass it off as somone elses problem.I am of the mind that in todays politics,even local,If one side says black,the other side will say white,To oppose them.

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