"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 15 Dec 2003 14:53:16 GMT, "Doug Kanter"
wrote:
I can see your point, but on the other hand (and there's always another
hand), the police *do* sometimes slow down traffic to peek in cars for
seat
belt compliance. There are occasional complaints about this, but mostly
it
goes by without much whining.

=================================================

I always wear my seat belt, as do my passengers. I think it's just
common sense, and don't really understand people who have a problem
with fastening their belts.

On the other hand (as you would say), I think the seat belt law is bad
legislation, and I think that police roadblocks to enforce it is
equally bad law enforcement.

I take a more severe view when it comes to automobiles, so my opinions
aren't very popular. If I won a really BIG lottery and had money to burn,
I'd actually hire someone to do a proper study to find out if one of my
theories is true: 90% of drivers are either drunk, completely distracted,
incompetent, legally blind or dead, too stupid to operate a spoon with other
people around, or too frightened of driving to function safely. As a result,
I have no problem with checkpoints. Driving's a privilege, not a right. Free
travel is a right, but not automobile use.

On a more down to earth level, I know two cops, and both have described what
it's like to arrive at an accident scene and try to figure out which arm
belongs to which child, when both are 50% pulverized against a windshield,
or worse, on the road. They say they actually nab people at the checkpoints
whose kids are romping around the car unbelted. The parents often try the
"Hey....I didn't know" routine. Remember what I said in the previous
paragraph? Too stupid to operate a spoon?