Posted on 10/07/2002 12:07:25 PM PDT by Cagey
Police pulled over a Mississauga driver Thursday who treated a case of beer more carefully than his 9-year-old son. OPP officers, who are vigorously looking for seatbelt violators as part of their provincial Fall Seatbelt Campaign, stopped the motorist on Highway 401 just east of Dixie Rd. after seeing a child jumping around in the back seat. When the investigating officer approached the car, he discovered the man and his child unbuckled, while a case of beer was fastened firmly in the passenger's seat. "It was like this guy cared more for his precious beer bottles getting smashed than he did for his son going through the windshield," said OPP Traffic Sergeant Cam Woolley. "If we can help people like this (buckle up) by slapping them with a hefty fine, they'll be that much safer." Woolley said he is fed up with drivers who don't fasten their seatbelt simply because they are not going that fast. But a recent OPP traffic study revealed even at 50 kilometres an hour, a 180-pound person not buckled up will strike the inside of his, or her vehicle with the force of more than 6,100 pounds. "I just cringe when I imagine the impact when travelling at greater highway speeds," said Woolley. "The tragic thing is, as a traffic investigator, I've seen it all too many times, especially in the Mississauga area." During a long weekend police blitz in the summer, Port Credit OPP officers concluded Mississauga drivers were among the worst in the province when it came to buckling up. Peel Regional Police are also taking part in the two-week blitz, but have revealed thus far that Peel residents have shown a 93 per cent compliance rate after checking more than 12,000 vehicles. The campaign ends Oct. 12., but Christmas initiatives like R.I.D.E and other campaigns will begin shortly thereafter.
You require a Beer Belt?
Huh.
At age 6, Texaggie always wore his seatbelt and only lost bottom teeth from that point on.
Ooh, the moral outrage... so unbecoming in a civilian, hundreds of times more so in a cop.
"If we can help people like this (buckle up) by slapping them with a hefty fine, they'll be that much safer."
Oh, it's one of those "It's for your own good," "It's for the children." You know, it's one thing to think these things, but you've got to be a real wuss to actually give a quote like this to a newspaper reporter. He probably has all his spices alphabeticized on his spice rack at home, too.
One would think anyone over the age of 25 couldn't possibly have survived childhood in the "old days" when there were no seatbelts and our parents filled up the car with cigarette smoke and nobody wore a helmet on a motorcycle. It's a wonder there's anyone alive today to tell the stories about the good old days.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.