Comment by ben_w

5 hours ago

It was legal to buy a car that had a seatbelt before the seatbelt became mandatory.

Or phones with USB-C.

I suspect this will be a good thing to force, but I don't know for sure.

11 comments

ben_w

eru 5 hours ago

> It was legal to buy a car that had a seatbelt before the seatbelt became mandatory.

Yes, making seatbelts mandatory was also a weird decision.

defrost 4 hours ago

Weird in what way?

As an example of public policy it had significant impact on death, injury, medical costs, etc.

Road Traffic Accidents before and after Seatbelt Legislation-Study in a District General Hospital (1990)

  Injuries among samples of car accident cases attending the Accident & Emergency (A & E) department of a District General Hospital (DGH) in the year before and after the introduction of seat belt legislation were classified applying the Abbreviated Injury Scale using information recorded in the patient case notes.

  Those who died or did not attend an A & E department were not included in the sampling frame.

  The number of those who escaped injury increased by 40% and those with mild and moderate injuries decreased by 35% after seatbelt legislation. There was a significant reduction in soft tissue injuries to the head. Only whiplash injuries to the neck showed a significant increase.

~ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/014107689008300207

( ^ One of many before/after studies that highlight difference made by seatbelt legislation )

eru 3 hours ago

Oh, seatbelts are great, and I wouldn't want to ride a car without one.
However people who don't want to wear seatbelts generally only endanger themselves. So why force them against their will?

4 replies →

ajuc 4 hours ago
Saving hundreds of thousands of lives was a weird decision?
- eru 3 hours ago
  
  Seatbelts are great, and I wouldn't want to ride a car without one.
  However people who don't want to wear seatbelts generally only endanger themselves. So why force them against their will?
  
  2 replies →