CEB

Use of seatbelts (properly) along with an airbag may well save your life. An airbag will NOT do you any damage unless you are not using a seatbelt or are doing something equally stupid....

2tuŽbos1mission

You'd get used to it, I'm even in Ohio =)

mbr

Unfortunately idiots that don't wear their seatbelts and get injured in accidents often don't have adequate (or any) health insurance and we all end up paying for their care. However, it would make more sense to require children to ride in the back and for all REAR seat passengers to wear seatbelts. Most states that have seatbelt laws only apply to the front seats, but most of the people who are not making their own decisions (children) are sitting in the back seat. Also, I recently read that a belted front seat passenger is 6x more likely to be killed in an accident if their rear seat passenger is not belted in.

Modern day healthcare has ended natural selection.

mbr

Re: I'm even in Cleveland, but have no interest in a tip!

Potomac-Greg

A reasonably smart person can learn a lot, and make him/herself much safer by reading and listening to the media, operating manuals and the internet. I firmly believe that people that lack English skills (reading, comprehension or speaking) are at a huge communications disadvantage. As a result, they do not hear or appreciate the importance of safety messages.

I do NOT think the answer is having yellow warning labels in multiple languages. That does not even come close to making all information multilingual. You would need to have every television program, newspaper, advertisment and broadcast of just about any kind translated.

I think the answer is to promote English as the language of the land not because I'm the ugly American, but because lives are lost.

I could extend this analysis to economic disadvantage as well.

mbr

And how many of these idiot parents were charged with homicide?? Probably none.

Finman

I agree about the health insurance stuff...but I don't think all that exceeds the "freedom" to choose to be more or less personally reckless. Motorcycle riders are freaking crazy...zipping in and out between cars...and without helmets!!! I think these guys are more of a problem than unbelted adults...but it is all the same type of thing...and I agree with you.

Finman

the proof that language isn't the big issue is how many plain old middle-America white bread that does the same stupid stuff as any English-impaired person. The pick-em-up crowd with kids in the back bed include English-speakers and non-English-speakers...just go through the "heartland" into Texas and throughout the south (east and west)...

2tuŽbos1mission

d@mn.