Click it (incorrectly) and ticket it

News & Observer ^ | 07/04/04 | AC Snow

[Copernicus]

Another Triangle woman tells of being stopped by two Raleigh police officers, one apparently in training, who contended she wasn't wearing her seatbelt.

Shown it was fastened, the officers retired to patrol car for a conference before returning 10 minutes later.

One handed her a $75 citation because, he said, the shoulder belt was "too loose".

[Fzob]

Somehow, that fails to make me feel like I'm living in a police state.

If she stood her ground and refused to pay the fine, the nice police officer would handcuff her and put her in jail. Is that when it becomes a police state?

[Copernicus]

In the US: Abdominal aortic TAI is extremely rare, with only 46 cases reported as of 1990.

Excellent!

Since your source is not attributed I presume you can provide the statistics on aortal tears since 1990 in the decade when many secondary seatbelt laws were converted to primary seatbelt laws and also document the sudden increase in thoraxic aortal tears since these laws were passed and enforced.

Best regards,

[bikepacker67]

Since your source is not attributed

Here ya go - ya heliocentric hooligan! ;-)

[Copernicus]

by a member of the volunteer parking enforcement brigade

I am unfamilar with concept of a "volunteer parking enforcement brigade" or their authority to issue any form of ticket or their jurisdiction on private property.

Should someone block or approach me in the fashion you described they would very quickly be distracted by the sight of a .357 in my hand.

They would also likely find themselves on the wrong end of a civil suit for illegal detention or possibly even criminal charges of kidnapping.

Best regards,

[Half Vast Conspiracy]

I calmly explained that I took it off first, that I took out my wallet to give him my driver's license when he walked up.

I had the asame happen, only the cop was standing at my window when I took off the seatbelt. When he asked my for my license, I took it off. Two minutes later he is threatening a ticket for no seat belt.

[Copernicus]

You may find this of some interest.

Unfortunately, in spite of the internal evidence they present, the authors distance themselves from the connection between seatbelt and injury. Such is the power of the political environment to shape public dialogue.

Autopsy review studies have shown that between 12 and 29% of all traffic fatalities have thoracic aortic trauma. 1–5 Thoracic aortic tear carries a mortality rate of over 90%, with on-scene death occurring in more than 80% of individuals sustaining this injury. 1,3 Because of improved prehospital response, treatment, and triage measures, an increasing number of individuals with this injury are being seen in the emergency department. Rapid diagnosis of thoracic aortic tear continues to be a challenge to clinicians, particularly in the typical case of a motor vehicle crash victim presenting with multiple injuries. Unfortunately, the lack of meaningful information on the mechanism required to induce thoracic aortic injury leads to excessive screening of patients with a variety of expensive and time-consuming tests.

Complete article here

Best regards,

[Politicalmom]

No, the excerpt is from later in the article.

These are two different women, one wearing it under her arm, one wearing it "too loosely".

I wonder how many people were victims of a crime while these women were being harassed??

[jwpjr]

Certainly that would have avoided the problem. And I certainly would have been more than happy to receive the ticket had he simply explained to me that the handicapped parking places are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of whether or not the establishment is open. But when he pulled in behind me and blocked me in and approached my vehicle without me knowing who he was or what he wanted he aroused my defense mechanisms. I left my wife in the car so that in the unlikely event there was a sudden rush of crippled people descending on the credit union in the predawn darkness they would not be in any way inconvenienced. I know you may find this hard to believe, but to the best of my recollection this was the first time I have EVER parked, stopped, stood or blocked a handicapped parking place. That simply is not my nature. And I would not have stopped in one this time had I been at any other ATM in Tampa. His storm trooper way of handling my misdeed took a situation where I was completely wrong and he was completely right into one where he could have had his car damaged, I could have run over him, or as another poster pointed out I could have confronted him with a weapon. Two wrongs don't make a right, and his authority does not extend to physically restraining a person who is guilty of misdemeanor illegal parking.

[jwpjr]

I suspect that this reaction to the changes around us is one of God's way of getting us ready to shift off this mortal coil. When we're young and everything is going our way it seems pretty important to us to continue with the status quo, but at this stage the thought of moving on is no where nearly as upsetting!

[jwpjr]

Several years ago I was chief of paramedics for the county's ems system here. I played a lot racquetball and would frequently stop in a convenience store on the way home from the courts about midnight and get something cold to drink. I was in the habit of putting my county radio in my back pocket when I was going to be out of the car. One night I was in the convenience store and a young man walked up to me while I was standing by the drink cooler, showed me a badge and sheriff's ID and asked if he could talk to me outside. When we got out of the store he asked "what is the radio for?" I explained I was chief of paramedics and on call 24/7. He was very polite but explained that I was taking a hell of chance carrying that radio into the convenience, pointing out that if I were to walk in on an armed robbery and the criminal heard the radio he would assume that I was law enforcement and would probably shoot me without hesitation. I thought about it for a minute and realized how right he was. Needless to say, after that I went in to get my drink sans radio. I feel the same way about this volunteer. The uniformed major who oversees the volunteer disabled parking brigade needs to point out to them that pulling in behind and blocking someone who is just getting back into their car from visiting an atm is a good way to get yourself shot!

[Rebelbase]

"I've been wearing seatbelts religiously since I was 15-1/2 (driver's ed films made a believer out of me).""

I wished they still showed those to kids as part of Driving School.

The body parts and smoking skulls had a way of making you think about being safe.

[billbears]

Is it a comprehension problem you have or a retention problem?

Hey I won't ping you. But don't expect to make some loony statement, of course with no reference to back up said statement (and with no mention of injuries caused by seat belts), and wrap it up with 'if you want to die, so be it' and not expect me to respond. You want to go on believing your myths, I could care less.

[ozaukeemom]

Thank you! I am only 5' and the seat belt does cut across my throat. And, while I may not be Dolly Parton, I am certainly not Twiggy so the chest area can get uncomfortable, as well.
As an aside, I was in a multiple car accident when I was about 20 in California. I was not wearing a seat belt. I ended up on the floor. Even the policeman said it was a good thing. I would have been quite hurt. As it was, I scraped my knee and got yelled at for being late for work!
I do wear my belt all the time. Wisconsin has the Click It or Ticket too.I am not wearing it such that it cuts across my throat and chin, though.

[kylaka]

If the D or V ring the belt runs through is mounted or fastened in a visable vertical "slot" it is adjustable. If it is, the fastener, which may not be visable is a pan head "allen" type screw. Be prepared with a long "allen" wrench, because it is torqued to about 85 ft/lb, and requires a fair amount of strength to loosen without a torque wrench with an allen type adapter. Most cars after 1995 are adjustable. An '89 Buick might not be.

[Bobby777]

aye carumba ... what's really scary is that he might not have been observant enough to see you take it off ... OTOH, he could just be a jerk ... man

[Bobby777]

they had people splattered on the freeway ... a face of a guy who hit a bridge (eyes still open) ... and sound/film of a guy picked up who broke his back, thrown out of a convertible when he clipped a semi cutting in from passing too fast ... and a guy stuffed in the left rear wheelwell after his car rolled, he was not wearing a seatbelt, and it stuffed him between the left rear tire and the wheelwell ...

I can still see those images from 1975 Driver's Ed ... oh yeah, they put some serious fear in me ...

[Bobby777]

I'll take a look at her car sometime this week ... thanks for the info ...

[m_cord.]

i work at a hotel in livermore ca. a guy checks in,drives to his room. no seat belt, $95.00 ticket in our parking lot he was a little pissed.

[12.7mm]

I dont like jerk cops.

[Bobby777]

how can there be a ticket on private property? ... it's not the street ... this seems "out of bounds" ... dunno ... California thing or is this all over I wonder?