Watch 1980s Drivers Freak Out About Having To Wear A Seat Belt

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Watch 1980s Drivers Freak Out About Having To Wear A Seat Belt

Drivers of decades past made up just about any excuse to avoid belting up.

By Mercedes Streeter
Yesterday 12:15PM

{snip}

[leftyladyfrommo]

1. There was a big tadoo about helmets for motorcycles

when that first happened.

[cinematicdiversions]

3. I have to confess I am still against helmets while skiing. NT

[LakeArenal]

4. Harley Davidson lobby still has helmets optional in WI

[LeftInTX]

9. ugh..I remember when that happened

They're optional in Texas too.

[LakeArenal]

10. WI and Texas similar RW nutz in power.

[LeftInTX]

11. Looks like only about 20 states have it mandatory

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Motorcycle_Helmet_Laws_in_the_US_by_State.svg#/media/File:Motorcycle_Helmet_Laws_in_the_US_by_State.svg

Red means they have mandatory.

Not gonna research helmet laws in each state.

Wisconsin was very blue when they overturned helmet laws. I was living there and dated several guys who owned motorcycles. I was not pleased.

[LakeArenal]

12. A definite lobbyist situation.

Big Employer. Lots of money.

[Polybius]

18. Interesting how some of the Deep South have mandatory helmet laws

And Maine doesn't.

[LeftInTX]

19. All I know is Wisconsin repealed their helmet law when the state was very blue

It was in the 70's.
I was dating guys who had motorcycles and I was like, "Oh no..not fun"

[NutmegYankee]

13. True Blue Connecticut is Helmet Optional.

I don’t have a problem with it. It keeps the organ donation supply steady.

[cinematicdiversions]

2. Click it or Ticket was the answer that finally worked. NT

[fescuerescue]

5. I'm skeptical that enforcement made that big of a difference

It sure hasn't worked for speeding and this is much much harder to detect.

IMO, I think that cars that won't stop beeping until you put it on made the difference.

Maybe it's just me. But I never worried about the fine. I didn't wear it and no cop ever bothered me about it.

But that damn Ford I bought in 2,000 wouldn't stop beeping unless I put it on.

So I credit my Ford for changing my seat belt habits.

[NutmegYankee]

14. Generational change.

It was normal for younger people, so over time the naysayers aged out of driving.

[fescuerescue]

21. Yea. That too

[flying_wahini]

6. I remember in the 70's when the Conservative Christians complained about heart transplants done by

DeBakey in Houston. They said it was an affront to God; you are supposed to die as it was God’s will.

A decade later, it was never mentioned again as conservatives took their turns on the table.

[LeftInTX]

8. But the baboon heart thing was interesting

It don't believe it was ever tried again!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baby_Fae

[mcar]

7. We got married in 1985

SO had an uncle in NY who hated the seat belt "mandate." When he got to the wedding (in Scranton, PA), he happily reported to me that he asked at the toll booth when crossing the Delaware River if PA required seat belts. When he was told no, he dramatically took the seat belt off.

He smoked Camel no filters yet lived well into his 80s.

[twin_ghost]

15. In the 70's We kids would ride in the car with our parents with no seat belts on.

Now my parents would be charged with child endangerment.

[DontBelieveEastisEas]

16. Freedom Lost

That is when I gave up on government and politicians.

I realize that getting hurt in an accident adds burden to society.
So, maybe now I am okay with seatbelts.

But, this helped me come up with a quote:
"The Price of Freedom is not being able to protect your brother." (/sister/dad/ mom/etc.)

Right now, you have a situation where the un-vaccinated are adding a tremendous amount of expense to the country.
Eating candy does also.
Smoking does.
Going for a joy ride.

You could easily say it is better for society to limit the number of children. Perhaps, a country that is bursting at the seems should. I don't know and I have not thought it through.

Motorcycles are ~200 times more deadly per mile than autos. Shouldn't they be banned. Or, is the energy savings worth it.
We could certainly say that only small cars are allowed.

We should not make a law for everything that could save some treasure.
Many things that we do cause loss of some amount of treasure .

For freedoms sake, I believe, we should not use protecting our brother as an argument for making a law.

[Polybius]

17. My father refused to wear one

He said it was uncomfortable, and grew up not wearing one so he couldn't get used to one being around 60 in 1985. He wasn't a Republican either.

[UTUSN]

20. K&R - I remember this, also when anti-2nd hand smoke rules started

Last edited Sat Sep 18, 2021, 03:39 PM - Edit history (1)

I remember smoking inside at work and how the rebellion started with clerks complaining about their bosses smoking in the office. In 1980 at a training class one young woman raised a ruckus about smokers inside. We agreed to go outside. We went two weeks of training with her. Then at our farewell supper when the spouses were included, there she was with her husband who was smoking at the table. I went up to him and told him that his wife had complained about smokers while here she was sitting next to him smoking. They were taken aback wordlessly, less perhaps about the confrontation than by the exposure of their relationship dynamic.

I smoked for 30 years starting with Navy boot camp and stopped cold turkey in ’96 when heart stuff was diagnosed. I never sermonized to others, never objected when smokers asked if it would bother me, rather joked along with pretend leaning over to sniff the smoke.