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My thought is that since helmets only protect the wearer,
whereas seatbelts can protect others besides the wearer,
Even if they are not in the vehicle at the time of the impact
(if the seatbelt keeps you from being thrown across the
Car, and can then stay behind the wheel and not hit that
pedestrian…etc)
That may be the difference in why states mandate seat belts and
not helmets.
But, I don’t think there can be any true explanation into
the minds of politics, other than money,
Is it because (tongue in cheek – sort of), the insurance
companies find it’s cheaper to treat someone without a helmet
Than with a helmet (injuries that much worse, they won’t
require treatment?, or the state’s CAT funds will treat
Them, and they don’t have to).
From:
nursebob@yahoogroups.com [mailto:nursebob@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Mary
Kendra, RN PhD
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 11:43 PM
To: nursebob@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: Seat Belt Laws
See, I knew I
was missing something. When you clarified it, it made more sense to me. Thanks
for clearing it up.
But, George, I did
read the whole sentence; in fact, I read it and reread it several times to try
to see what I was missing. I do try to not jump to conclusions.
In my more
cynical moments, I would like to see cyclists who decline helmets be required
to either 1) put up $500K for their immediate care and as much rehab as that
will cover or 2) sign a statement accepting responsibility for making such a
poor decision and be put on a “Do Not Treat” list in case of an
accident (of course, then we’ll lose too many of our organ donors, so
we’ll have to think that through).
Obviously, this
isn’t the answer. But then, wearing a motorcycle helmet sort of becomes a
societal responsibility, rather than a personal right. Plenty of precedents
(safety vs. personal preference) have been set and this is one that would be
easy to see if it were being followed.
I think as
nurses, many of us have seen firsthand the end-results of cyclists without
helmets in accidents or folks in MVAs who didn’t have their seat belts
fastened.
Mary
From: nursebob@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:nursebob@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of George Gallen
Sent: Tuesday, June 09, 2009 2:14 PM
To: nursebob@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: Seat Belt Laws
You didn't read the whole sentence..
It said, "Seat belts will not protect you from injury if it
comes to you"
seat belts stop you from coming to it.
meaning, if something flys at you (glass, other car parts) or hits you (side
of door or window), seatbelts won't protect you, in that instance, airbags
will help (if deployed).
The gist of the post was you need BOTH, airbags and seatbelts.
airbags to protect you at the impact time, and seatbelts to keep
you in place after the airbags deflate (while the car is still moving not
under your control).
As for the helmet laws, I have no idea why some states repealed them,
and/or some do require them.
What would be interesting is if the states that have no helmet law, have
a law requiring children to wear helmets on bicycles. Have them explain that
one.
To:
nursebob@yahoogroups.com
From: mkendra@...
Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 13:59:19 -0400
Subject: RE: Seat Belt Laws
Hi, George,
I’m a little confused, because the 1st sentence
below and the last sentence seem to contradict each other. Are you saying that
seatbelts have no protective properties? If so, I must disagree. Because I can
tell you that 1) airbags only get activated in specific circumstances,
certainly not even close to every accident and 2) just by hearing the injuries
sustained, anyone in ER/trauma can guess whether the person was restrained or
not.
Seatbelts most absolutely protect you from injury.
This time, it’s not even my opinion. There are many examples
and studies that prove this.
Mary
From: nursebob@yahoogroups.com
[mailto:nursebob@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of George Gallen
Sent: Monday, June 08, 2009 3:23 PM
To: nursebob@yahoogroups.com
Subject: RE: Seat Belt Laws
... Seatbelts...
will not protect you from injury if it comes to
you. For that, we have airbags, but they only
last for seconds, then deflate. For people who confuse airbags and think seatbelts are not needed, after
the airbags deflate there
will be nothing to keep you in the seat (or car), if it's still in motion.
.
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