Mar
03
2008
Radical New Seatbelt Law Sweeps Australia
Posted by: Keith in All Items, Australia, Legislation & Rules, New Laws & Rules, New South WalesA new Australian seatbelt law will make it mandatory for parents to restrain all children under the age of six months in a rear-facing infant capsule. Children up to four will need to be restrained in an approved forward-facing child seat. And children aged between four and seven must be restrained in an approved booster seat. Interesting how seatbelt laws cover so many other things, like child seats.
March 22nd, 2008 at 3:03 pm - Edit
All seatbelts and booster seats do is provide for a government imposed, revenue-genarating false sense of security. Parents can decide for themselves which measures are appropriate for car safety.
I for one think being comfortable and at ease trumps any other safety measure. If a driver or passenger is aware and in control, the artificial safety net they call the seatbelt holds no importance. For the rest of the populace (uncomfortable, not at ease, not aware or not in control), they have no business behind the wheel anyway.
And yet, society chooses to label the driver of a beltless child as a criminal! If only they realized how much everybody is safer, INCLUDING children, without the strap…
March 22nd, 2008 at 7:44 pm - Edit
Well, it beats having people flying out of cars during accidents, and having other people scoop them off the road.
March 25th, 2008 at 6:42 pm - Edit
How many car accidents would be prevented altogether if people used and maintained their cars properly? Whatever happened to good brakes, proper tires, reasonable and proper speed according to conditions?
Society says it’s alright to have bad brakes, have bald tires, and to speed, even in a bad storm. As long as you have a seatbelt on, you’ll be fine.
Gimme a break…
March 26th, 2008 at 4:37 pm - Edit
Society does not say that. It is called a speeding ticket. And when you are not technically speeding, but going to fast for current conditions, it is called a To Fast For Existing Conditions ticket.
March 30th, 2008 at 4:06 am - Edit
Even speeding (whether over the posted limit or too fast for conditions), is arbitrarily sanctioned. In my area, police have their radar guns tuned to chirp at 120 km/h in 100 km/h zones.
Does that mean it’s OK to drive at 115? Seems to be, because you won’t get a ticket for it. Everyone knows this, and that’s why the flow of traffic is consistantly observed at 115.
May 3rd, 2008 at 7:45 am - Edit
I think this law in Australia is very important. I dont feel that is it too radical. It will help save a lot of lives.
May 20th, 2008 at 12:41 pm - Edit
Let’s simplify the matter and only deal with the laws which allow police who believe they see me without my seat belt on, or simply wish to use that claim, to stop me, search my vehicle if they desire, and often happily exert their Napoleonic control over another. If it’s because the lawmakers simply wish to protect me from myself, that is a direct abuse of my Constitutional rights. However, that is not unusual in today’s America. At any rate, the real main reason is not to protect me from myself; it’s to add to unnecessary police authority and to add to local police authority purses. The state has absolutely no Constitutionally granted authority to protect me from myself. Furthermore, take a look at Wikipedia concerning the effectiveness of seat belt laws. In reality, the only thing seat belt laws has improved is the unconstitutional control of the state over the citizen. This is hardly surprising during Bush’s administration. Like when Cheney was being interviewed recently and was asked about the fact that a huge majority of the American public was against our presence in Iraq. And he replied . . . “So??” . . . meaning we are the government and beyond the control of the people.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:23 pm - Edit
Lol, yeah where you live. Where I live, the speed limit goes by Mp/H. On the freeway the speed limit is 75 Mp/h. The police here have their radar guns to chirp at 80 Mp/h (5 MP/h headroom). If your going any faster than 79 MP/h they bust you. It is the same in areas with lower speed limits. For example, if the speed limit is 55 MP/h, the cops raidar will chirp at 60 Mp/h. That is because, while a cop can pull you over for going any speed over the speed limit, in Utah 1-4 Mp/h carries a fine of $0, so the cop does not see the point in giving you a $0 ticket. 5-10 Mp/h over is a $70 11-19 is a $120 and 21+ over is jail.