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"For payment of obligations incurred in carrying out the provisions of 23 U.S.C.
402, 405, 406, 408, and 410 and sections 2001(a)(11), 2009, 2010, and 2011 of Public Law
109-59, to remain available until expended, $619,500,000 to be derived from the Highway
Trust Fund (other than the Mass Transit Account): Provided, That none of the
funds in this Act shall be available for the planning or execution of programs the total
obligations for which, in fiscal year 2009, are in excess of $619,500,000 for programs
authorized under 23 U.S.C. 402, 405, 406, 408, and 410 and sections 2001(a)(11), 2009,
2010, and 2011 of Public Law 109-59, of which $235,000,000 shall be for `Highway Safety
Programs' under 23 U.S.C. 402; $25,000,000 shall be for `Occupant Protection Incentive
Grants' under 23 U.S.C. 405; $124,500,000 shall be for `Safety Belt Performance Grants'
under 23 U.S.C. 406, and such obligation limitation shall remain available until September
30, 2010 in accordance with subsection (f) of such section 406 and shall be in addition to
the amount of any limitation imposed on obligations for such grants for future fiscal
years; $34,500,000 shall be for `State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements'
under 23 U.S.C. 408; $139,000,000 shall be for `Alcohol-Impaired Driving Countermeasures
Incentive Grant Program' under 23 U.S.C. 410; $18,500,000 shall be for `Administrative
Expenses' under section 2001(a)(11) of Public Law 109-59; $29,000,000 shall be for `High
Visibility Enforcement Program' under section 2009 of Public Law 109-59; $7,000,000 shall
be for `Motorcyclist Safety' under section 2010 of Public Law 109-59; and $7,000,000 shall
be for `Child Safety and Child Booster Seat Safety Incentive Grants' under section 2011 of
Public Law 109-59: Provided further, That none of these funds shall be used for
construction, rehabilitation, or remodeling costs, or for office furnishings and fixtures
for State, local or private buildings or structures: Provided further, That not
to exceed $500,000 of the funds made available for section 410 `Alcohol-Impaired Driving
Countermeasures Grants' shall be available for technical assistance to the States: Provided
further, That not to exceed $750,000 of the funds made available for the `High
Visibility Enforcement Program' shall be available for the evaluation required under
section 2009(f) of Public Law 109-59."
Thus, congress continues to appropriate hundreds of millions of
dollars a year to force this blood-soaked scam on the American people, thereby
guaranteeing that hundreds more will die and thousands more will be seriously injured.
These amounts are for the entire fiscal year. Because the fiscal year was almost half
over when this bill was passed, some of these funds had already been expended under the
previous continuing resolution. The appropriations reflect a $6 million dollar increase
for 23 USC 402 and a $1 million dollar increase for "Anton's Law" (forcing
mothers to strap their seven year olds into death-trap seats.) Notice also the $29 million
for "high visibility enforcement" (police harassment). Notice the inept
wording regarding the continuing availability of funds under section 406. The intent is
that if they can't get states to accept all the money in one year, they can add it to the
amount appropriated for the following years. The reason is that states are increasingly
refusing to take the money.
Just to refresh your memory, grants under 23 USC 402 must be spent on a program
approved by the Secretary of Transportation which includes measures "to encourage the
proper use of occupant protection devices (including safety belts and child restraint
systems) by occupants of motor vehicles".
To qualify for "occupant protection incentive grants" under 23 USC 405, a state
must meet four of six criterea, which include: primary seatbelt law, high visibility
enforcement (of seatbelt laws), mandatory booster seat laws, booster seat
"education" programs, and minimum penalty points for violation of seatbelt laws.
(It also used to include a provision "to educate the public about the benefits of air
bags", but they took that out).
To qualify for "safety belt performance grants" under 23 USC 406, a state must
meet one of two criterea: primary seatbelt law or a seatbelt use rate of 85% in the
preceding two years. (Note: this explains why seatbelt enforcement in states with
secondary seatbelt laws is often more draconian than in states with primary laws. If they
don't meet the 85% use rate as the end of the year approaches, the police tend to get
hysterical because they stand to lose millions of dollars).
To qualify for grants under section 2011(a)(11) of P.L. 109-59, a state must raise the
maximum age at which booster seats are required from 5 to 7 years.
This section of HR 1105 is identical to that which was reported
out of Patty Murray's transportation subcommittee of the senate appropriations committee
in 2008. The total amount for this section is up from $599,250,000 last year, with the
amount for 23 USC 402 up from $229,000,000. The amounts for 23 USC 405 and 406 are
unchanged, as is the amount for police harassment, otherwise known as "high
visibility enforcement". The amount for Anton's Law, otherwise known as "child
safety and child booster seat safety incentive grants", is up from $6,000,000 last
year.
Notice the provision that "unobligated balances (i.e., from previous years)...may be
made available...in fiscal 2010". What is behind this is that states are
increasingly unwilling to accept this money, so that there is money left over from
previous years. That means that the total NHTSA has available to offer states in bribes to
pass and enforce these laws is greater than the amounts stated above. Readers of this
web-site will recall that senator Patty Murray, the sponsor and manager of this
bill, berated the then Secretary of Transportion, Mary Peters, and the then NHTSA
Administrator, Nicole Nason, for giving away only $3,000,000 of the $6,000,000
appropriated for Anton's Law. She also demanded that they not rest until every state
has a primary seatbelt law.
Seatbelts kill. To understand what is going
on here, you might want to read, or re-read, our essay, Seatbelts Kill
Seatbelt whiplash: An interesting story on
ABC news on December 23, 2008. http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=6515671&page=1
A car slammed into a dump truck. The neck of a nine year old boy sitting in the back seat,
strapped in by a seatbelt, was broken as a result of his head having snapped forward. The
story gives few details, but the accident must have taken place at a relatively low speed
because the mother was not, apparently, seriously injured. The story dwells on the fact
that the doctors were able to save the child's life even though such injuries are usually
fatal. The story is important because of the dearth of real world data on this type of
accident. It shows that even in the type of accident for which NHTSA promotes seatbelts,
even at low speed, the whiplash alone can prove fatal to a child.
Note: Since younger children are more vulnerable to such injuries, and booster seats strap
the child in more firmly than seatbelts, this story illustrates the extreme danger that
booster seats pose to small children in the type of accident envisaged by NHTSA. (cf.
"Anton's Law").
From KIDO radio in Boise Idaho, December 1,
2008. KIDO radio reports that a woman "lost control of her car" and smashed into
a tree. The car was so badly crushed it took the paramedics two hours to extract the
woman's body, according to KIDO radio.
FROM YAHOO AND AP, November 27, 2008. www.yahoo.com "SUV plunges off Colorado
highway, killing 7". We quote from the article in case it has been removed by the
time you see this. We trust Yahoo and AP will forgive us. "Johnstown, Colorado - An
SUV plunged off an overpass and hit a concrete embankment in a fiery crash Thursday
morning, killing all seven people inside it......'Not only is the SUV burned, it has a lot
of crushed deformation from hitting the concrete' (Colorado State Trooper Gilbert) Mares
said". Think about this. Those who were not killed instantly as a result of being
crushed to death were burned alive.
Seatbelts, anyone? Dummy tests anyone? Welcome to the real world,
senator Murray.
Rollover accident in France, November 8, 2008:

Driver killed. Head bashed in by collapsing roof. Seatbelt made it
impossible for him to evade the blow. We have so many of these pictures now that this is
deja vu, but we need to keep reminding people until the seatbelt laws are repealed.
(France2 TV screen shot).
Automobile
seatbelts, air bags and booster seats are crackpot inventions thought up by amateurs
who didn't know what they were doing.
 This van ran into a bus. Driver and passenger
crushed to death
(france2 TV screenshot, 3/15/08) |
 Collision in France. Seven crushed to death.
Remains of minibus
(france2 TV screenshot, 3/24/08) |
 Collision in France. All occupants crushed to
death.
(france2 TV screenshot, 5/11/08) |
This is what happens to real cars in real fatal
collisions
 Fatal collision in France on June
10, 2008. It's the same
in every country. We show these pictures from France2 because they are the best source of
such pictures.
|
 Here is another fatal collision which took place
on 5/11/08.
All occupants crushed to death. |
 This fatal collision took place near Eagle, Idaho on
August 3, 2007. Doesn't look much like the dummy
tests, does it.
|
seatbelts, anyone?
According to the FARS data base, 90% of all cars involved in fatal
accidents are "severely crushed". This information is in the public domain and
can easily be verified by applying an SAS filter to the data. The FARS data base is the
official United States Government record of all fatal accidents which have taken place in
this country since l975.
Another car went into a pond on May 11, three occupants, only one got out.
The others almost certainly trapped by their seatbelts, as we have seen so often before.
Solar energy is nonsense. Wind power is nonsense. The only way this
country can meet its energy needs without polluting the air is with dams and nuclear power
plants.
If Patty
Murray's seatbelt money passes again this year, it is likely that the seatbelt
scammers (NHTSA's nationwide lobbying machine) will be up to their old tricks
again next year, to promote the seatbelt scam - the lies, the bribes, the false witnesses,
the phony front organizations, the fake videos, the false stories planted in the media,
the phony demonstrations, perjury and subornation of perjury, and all the rest of their
bag of tricks. No doubt they will act "agressively" and "with zeal",
to quote from Patty Murray's instructions.
Comment:
It seems strange that a government which is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to
protect us from "terrorists" is at the same time spending hundreds of millions
to force us to do something which has killed more people than all the world's terrorists
put together.
Seatbelt
kills girl on Christmas eve:
http://www.northumberlandnews.com/news/article/91401
Another "ejection" story: On April 11, 2008, CBS news reported that the driver in the
Caldwell accident was "ejected". Unfortunately for CBS news, this accident
happened just down the road from our office and there was an eye witness who actually saw
the accident. The witness stated that the car was on fire and that she found the driver
behind the car. Naturally the driver would have gotten out of the car if she was able,
seeing that the car was on fire. There is not a shred of evidence that she was
"ejected" , and if she had been ejected it would be very hard to explain how she
wound up behind the car, consistent with the laws of physics. Notice that the toddler
would have burned to death, trapped in his death-trap seat, if our heroine had not been on
hand to pull him from the flames. We don't know where CBS news got their misinformation,
but we can guess. For the full story, including a video link to the eyewitness account,
click on the link below:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/350107.html
News Item: Accident in Fresno, California. From CNN, Novermber 3, 2007.
FRESNO, Calif. -- A man was arrested Saturday on a drunken driving charge after two people
were killed and dozens more injured in a massive morning pileup in dense fog that involved
more than 100 cars and trucks, the California Highway Patrol said.....CHP Officer Paul
Solorzano Jr. described the scene as "something out of a movie, walking up and seeing
all the cars mangled and crushed." (emphasis added. ed.)
Take note:
An air bag is like a bomb. If it goes off it can kill you.
Beware of "safety"
devices invented by amateurs.
Booster seats claim two more
victims (from www.cnn.com, October 18, 2007):
Two children trapped in a sinking minivan are alive (but in critical condition, ed.)
thanks to the efforts of five good Samaritans who jumped into a retention pond near Walt
Disney World and saved them. "The van completely became submerged. It was really,
really scary," one of the rescuers said."For the quick reaction that these good
Samaritans had, they saved these kids' lives," Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Kim
Miller told CNN affiliate WKMG-TV of Orlando."It is anyone's worst nightmare. We know
what can happen if kids are under water."The Nissan Quest plunged into the pond off
U.S. Highway 192 on Wednesday afternoon when a spare tire blew out, causing the driver to
lose control, the highway patrol said.The westbound van was carrying five people. The
driver, Ermarie Otereo, 24, and two passengers, Sulane Suero, 21, of Orlando, and Ivan
Rivera, 6, of Kissimmee, were able to escape the submerged minivan, WKMG reported.But
Niomy Rivera, 3, of Kissimmee and Derek Rivera, 1, of Kissimmee, were trapped under water
for as long as seven minutes, the station said.Witnesses said Otereo was screaming for
help, saying her babies were in the car, The Associated Press reported.The good Samaritans
saw the sinking van and jumped in to save the children."I screamed for a knife ...
and I went in and cut up the seat belts on the car seat to get the baby out," rescuer
Elliott Ramos told WKMG. "I was feeling the baby's body. He was motionless, so I'm
trying to put my hand underneath the belt, so I could cut it without injuring the
baby," Ramos told CNN affiliate WESH-TV of Orlando. "I was just fearing for
somebody's life ... I was praying to God, please let these babies live, please let these
babies live. Thank God we got them in time."Another rescuer, Robert Wright, told WESH
he was on his way to pick up his children when he saw the van go out of control and plunge
into the pond. Wright said he didn't think twice about stopping to help."The mother
was yelling that her babies were in the car," Wright said. "The van completely
became submerged. It was really, really scary. You couldn't see anything. It was totally
black underwater. We couldn't get the seat belts loose from the kids. It was pretty
bad," Wright said. All of the occupants were taken to hospital, AP reported. Niomy
and Derek Rivera were in critical condition at Florida Hospital South on Thursday.
Here is what the
Senate Appropriations Committee had to say in their report:
"The Committee
believes that it is critical that the Secretary and the Administrator be engaged in this
effort and directs the agency to submit quarterly reports on the actions taken by the
agency to work towards the implementation of primary seat belt laws in all States."
Take note: If you are wearing a seatbelt and you are involved in a head
on-collision like the ones shown in the NHTSA crash test videos, the seatbelt will exert a
force on you equal to 30 times your body weight. That means that if you weigh 150 pounds,
the seatbelt will exert a force on you of 4,500 lbs. Fourthousandfivehundred pounds.
In other words, YOU WILL DIE.
Newton's
Laws of Motion have been officially repealed by the United States Congress.
It's true. Read 23 USC 153, 157, 402, 405 and 406. Nevertheless, they
continue in force. Since Isaac Newton is dead, he cannot be forced to recant, as was
Galileo. So the Congress is taking refuge in denial.
Comment: Why are the two most important data points, the cause of death and
the cause of the accident, missing from the FARS data base? Surely, if you want to find
ways to save people's lives in auto accidents, the first thing you want want to know is
what caused their death. Yet NHTSA has not done this. Surely it would be better,
rather than spending billions to promote crackpot schemes, to prevent the accidents from
happening in the first place. In order to do this, would you not want to know what is
causing the accidents? Yet NHTSA has not done this. If you are going to create
an agency to improve highway safety, would you not want to have a director who knew
something about highway safety? Yet, in its entire fortyone year history, NHTSA has never
had a director who knew anything about highway safety.
| August 5, 2007 was the fiftieth anniversary of the first seatbelt
hearing held in the U.S. Congress. This
hearing set the tone for most of the subsequent hearings on this subject which have been
held since then. The witnesses were carefully chosen for their willingness to say
that it was a great idea and their readiness to state the most absurd falsehoods
under oath in support of that idea. |
From the House Appropriations Committee
report on HR 3074:
"Child safety
and child booster seat safety incentive grants.--Section 2011 of SAFETEA-LU
established a new incentive grant program to make grants available to states that are
enforcing a law requiring any child riding in a passenger vehicle who is too large to be
secured in a child safety seat to be secured in a child restraint that meets the
requirements prescribed under section 3 of Anton's Law (49 U.S.C. 30127 note; 116 Stat.
2772). These grants may be used only for child safety seat and child restraint programs.
The Committee is
disappointed that NHTSA failed to determine state eligibility in a timely fashion and, as
a result, awarded less than half of the authorized funds for this program in fiscal year
2006. The Committee encourages NHTSA to work aggressively to award available Section 2011
funds to all qualified states.
Actually, the only state which passed
Anton's Law last year was Hawaii. It certainly wasn't for want of trying by NHTSA. The
total amount appropriated for this "law" for fiscal 2006 was $6,000,000.
Half of $6,000,000 is $3,000,000. Did Hawaii get the whole $3,000,000?
The corresponding
senate bill is S.1789
The sponsor of S.1789 is senator Patty Murray of Washington, the
same Patty Murray who chaired the transportation sub-committee of the senate
appropriations committee, which reported out this bill. (See excerpt below).
HR 3074 was only introduced in the House on July 18, 2007 so its passage on July 24
represents something of a speed record for this type of bill. Since this is the biggest
pork barrel in the budget, there is usually a bitter fight over who gets what.
Here
is what the senate appropriations sub-committee (chaired by senator Murray) wrote in their
report:
"Seat Belt Usage.--Seat belts have proven to be one of
the most effective tools in reducing highway fatalities. NHTSA estimates that seat belts
saved 15,632 lives in 2005 and that an additional 5,328 lives could have been saved if
motor vehicle occupants had been wearing seat belts. Strong seat belt laws coupled with
strong enforcement has proven effective in improving seat belt usage and saving lives.
However, today only 26 States and the District of Columbia have primary seat belt laws.
The enactment of primary seat belt laws has been on the National Transportation Safety
Board's `Most Wanted' list for States since 1998. Under a provision in SAFETEA-LU, the
Secretary and the Administrator have the ability to go to States to work for the
implementation of primary seat belt laws. In testimony before the Committee, the Secretary
stated that she had personally gone out to States to encourage the enactment of primary
seat belt laws.
The Committee believes that it is
critical that the Secretary and the Administrator be engaged in this effort and directs
the agency to submit quarterly reports on the actions taken by the agency to work towards
the implementation of primary seat belt laws in all States."
This statement is absolutely staggering in
its falsity, mendacity, and arrogance. Let's just take their statements one at a time:
1. Seatbelts have been
proven to be one of the most effective tools in reducing highway fatalities. As we,
and others, have shown, with massive evidence and documentation, based on years of
research, which you can find on this web-site, seatbelts increase, not decrease the
fatality rate in automobile accidents. As we know after the most careful and exhaustive
investigation, the proof that the committee report refers to does not exist.
The statement is an out and out falsehood.
2. NHTSA estimates
that seatbelts saved 15,632 lives in 2005 and that an additional 5,328 lives could have
been saved if motor vehicle occupants had been wearing seatbelts. A careful
investigation of this estimate reveals that it is purely a product of the
writers imagination. It is an out and out fabrication based on nothing but thin air.
3. Strong seatbelt
laws have proven effective
in saving lives. In four years of research we have
not been able to find a single verified case of a persons life ever being saved by a
seatbelt in an automobile accident. As best we can tell, based on the available evidence,
seatbelts kill approximately 2,000 people a year in this country. (See our report,
The Truth About Seatbelts, on this web-site).
4. The enactment of primary seatbelt
laws has been on the National Transportation Safety Boards Most Wanted List since
1998. According to the NTSB web-site, State Mandatory Seatbelt Use Laws
was added to their Most Wanted List in l991 and removed in l994. Nowhere
does it indicate that it was put back in 1998, or at any other time.
5. Under a provision
in SAFETEA-LU, the Secretary and the Administrator have the ability to go to States to
work for the implementation of primary seat belt laws. We have read
SAFETEA-LU very carefully and have not found such a provision, which
would, in any case, violate the spirit, if not the letter, of the congressional ban on
federal employees lobbying state legislatures.
6. In testimony before the Committee,
the Secretary stated that she had personally gone out to States to encourage the enactment
of primary seat belt laws. We were not aware that she had done so, but if she did,
we believe it would be in violation of federal law. It would certainly be inappropriate,
in our opinion, and exceed her mandate.
Notice that, as before, the subcommittee took it upon itself to lecture and
instruct NHTSA in its duties before the full committee, let alone the full senate, never
mind the House of Representatives or the President of the United States, had a chance to
consider their report.
Re Anton's Law in the U.S. Code: You may think this is all legastistic gobblediguk,
but this is what leads to that flashing red light in your rear view mirror and that siren
telling you to pull over.
We thought you might like to read what your congress has enacted into law. This is from 49
USC 30127 note. This stuff isnt easy to find. In fact, they would probably rather you
didn't find it. This note was referenced in House report 109-203, which was the
final conference report on HR 3, and is now P.L. 109-59. You will find the reference in
section 2011(a).
"(h) Booster seat
study. .....not later than 12 months after the date of the enactment of this Act (Nov. 1,
2001) the Secretary of Transportation shall initiate and complete a study, taking
into acount the views of the public, on the use and effectiveness of automobile booster
seats for children, compiling information on the advantages and disadvantages of using
booster seats and determining the benefits, if any, to children from use of booster
(seats?) with lap and shoulder belts compared to children using lap and shoulder belts
alone, and submit a report on the results of that study to the congress "
Well, now isn't that nice.
What could be fairer than that. Unfortunately, our euphoria is cut short by the next
paragraph:
"(i) Booster seat
education program. The Secretary of Transportation within one year after the date of the
enactment of this act (Nov. 1, 2001) shall develop a 5 year strategic plan to reduce
deaths and injuries caused by the failure to use the appropriate booster seat in the 4 to
8 year old age group by 25%"
Note: We have already shown how booster seats kill children in fire, in
water, and in head-on collisions, as shown in the famous NHTSA dummy test videos. See THE GREAT BOOSTER SEAT SCAM below for more.
THE GREAT
BOOSTER SEAT SCAM
Child
death-trap seats: As we have shown (see Puzzles, above and below), the straps
on a booster seat will kill the child in even a medium speed head-on collision of the type
shown in the NHTSA videos. A booster seat puts the child's head closer to the
roof of the car, thus making it more likely that its head will be crushed in a roll-over.
Elevating a child makes it more likely that the child will be killed in an override, while
it might have survived lower down. A strapped in child may suffer serious injury or death
from the straps in case of other types of collisions, as well as head-on. Strapping in a
child makes it more likely that the child will be crushed when the vehicle is stove in,
since the child cannot avoid the blow or be pushed aside. Strapping in a child makes it
more likely that the child will be burned to death if the car catches fire because it may
not be possible to release the child in time, or at all - and we have seen this in case
after case. Strapping in a child makes it more likely that the child will be drowned if
the car plunges into water for the same reasons, and this too we have seen in actual
cases. A study released on December 8, 2006 also shows the danger of leaving
children strapped into these seats for too long, even without an accident. CTV_ca.htm, Car_seats.htm.
NHTSA, under orders from congress, would have you believe that there is
this great national crisis of children being killed in head-on collisions, making
necessary draconian laws to force parents to strap their children into booster seats. As
we have shown below (see puzzle), strapping a child into a booster seat almost guarantees
that the child will be killed in a head-on collision. But let's just see if this is
a great national problem, based on the government's own data. According to the FARS data
base for 2001 (the last year the government listed head-on collisions as a separate
category), in that year, out of approximately 23 million children in the United States
under the age of 6, 128 were killed in head-on collisions. Of those, FARS states that 51
were definitely in booster seats, 15 may have been in booster seats but they're not
really sure, 6 were in booster seats but, according to FARS, the seat was
"improperly used", leaving only 56, out of 23 million, who were definitely
not in booster seats. As we have shown below, had those 56 been in booster seats, their
chances of survival would not have improved. You can check these numbers for
yourself by visiting ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/FARS/
Seeing that the small number of head-on
collisions was undermining their case for seatbelts and booster seats, NHTSA, after 2001,
stopped listing head-on collisions as a separate category, lumping them together with
front end collisions, hoping that people would be too dumb to know the difference. But
front end collisions can be off center collisions at any angle so they are not quite the
same thing as the scenario shown in the crash test videos. Nevertheless, NHTSA hoped that
the fact that there are more front end collisions than head-on collisions would make
it seem like a bigger problem. It didnt work out that way. Let's just look at the data for
2005, the most recent year for which data is available:
In 2005, out of
approximately 25 million children in the United States under 6 years of age, 75 were
killed in front end collisions. We ran this through the SAS filter twice, just to make
sure it was not a mistake. Of those, only 16 were known not be in some kind of restraint.
39 were in booster seats (52%), 8 were in lap and shoulder belts, 4 were in lap belts, 2
were said to be in a restraint but the recording officer did not know what type, and for 6
they did not know if they had been in a restraint or not.
NHTSA then tried to claim that children should be placed in booster seats to
prevent them from being "ejected". Let's see what the FARS data base has to say
about it. In 2005, out of 25 million children in the United States under 6 years of age,
they say that 126 were killed by being "ejected". Of these, 89, or 71%, were in
high c.g. vehicles, mainly SUVs and vans. This is due to the fact that 79% of these
accidents were rollovers. Thus, only 37 children, out of 25 million, were killed by being
ejected from regular automobiles. In fact, even these numbers may err on the high side.
Out of the 126 cases for which they claim a child was killed by being ejected, in 98 of
those cases the officer could not say how, i.e. through what opening, the child was
ejected. Moreover, in 47 cases, the child was said to have been in a restraint prior to
ejection. Of these, 41 were said to have been in booster seats, 5 were said to have been
in seatbelts, and one in a restraint of unknown type. We know from long experience that
police claims of "ejection" are not to be trusted. FARS also tells us that out
of the 126 children supposedly killed by ejection, 103, or 82%, were killed in single car
accidents; that is, in most cases, the driver of the vehicle the child was in caused the
accident.
Anton's Law:
NHTSA this year has been trying to get states to pass "Anton's Law".
Under this so-called law, parents would be required to strap 6 and 7 year old
children into booster seats. Anton, it seems, was a four year old who was killed
when "his mother lost control of her car". How this translates into
requiring 6 and 7 year olds to be strapped into booster seats, they did not say. Congress
has appropriated $6 million dollars a year to promote this law. Let's just see
what the government's own data has to say about it: According to the FARS data base, out
of the approximately ten million 6 and 7 year old children in the United States in
2005, 19 were killed in front end collisions. Of these, 8 were in lap and shoulder
belts, 5 were in lap belts, one was in a booster seat, 4 were unrestrained and 2 were
unknown. All but three were riding in the back seat and most were, therefore, almost
certainly killed by their restraints. (cf. California AB 881 above which would
require all children up to 8 years of age to sit in the back seat).
Another argument that has been put forward for
Anton's Law is that it would save lives by preventing children from being
"ejected". As we know from our analysis, and actual accident reports, a vehicle
occupant has a better chance of surviving an accident if he is ejected than if he is
trapped in the vehicle by "restraints". But let's just see, from the
government's own data, how many 6 and 7 year olds are actually killed by being ejected.
According to the FARS data base, out of the approximately ten million children in that age
group in the United States in 2005, 42 were, supposedly, killed by being ejected.
However, this number may err on the high side. When asked, on the form, how the children
were ejected (i.e., through what opening), in 36 of the 42 cases the officers stated
that they did not know. Moreover, four of the children were said to be in lap and
shoulder belts, one was said to be in a lap belt, and one was said to be in a booster
seat. In most of these cases, had the child been trapped in the vehicle by a restraint, it
would have been killed anyway.
Finally, there is the question of how these accidents happened. Even SUVs dont just roll
over by themselves. A driver has to do something pretty unusual to get one to roll over.
And most of these were single car accidents. In other words, the driver caused the
accident. NHTSA does not tell us how these accidents happened, but they do tell us that in
64% of fatal accidents the driver was driving in an unsafe manner - speeding, drunk,
drugged, mentally deranged, and so on.
There is an old saying: "Accidents do not
happen; they are caused".
The new president of France: Nicolas Sarkozy was observed riding in his
automobile without a seatbelt. France has a primary seatbelt law. Sarkozy has said
that he wants to make changes in France, and this is a good start.
The new
energy bill: The energy bill passed by the U.S. Senate
contains a provision that the new mileage standards will go into effect unless NHTSA
recommends otherwise. Since NHTSA recommends whatever congress tells them to recommend, it
gives the politicians an out.
Read our paper:
"Seatbelts Kill: The True Story of the Seatbelt Scam" (html works rtf word text)
CORZINE ACCIDENT:
From the New York Times: (May 6, 2007) "....there are no records among the five
cassette tapes and three compact discs, totaling nearly two hours, of conversations
involving Mr. Corzine's driver , Trooper Robert J. Rasinski. Nor does anything refer to
the fact that the caravan was going 26 mph above the posted speed limit of 65, or that Mr.
Corzine was not wearing a seatbelt." They may have been careful to delete any
references to Trooper Rasinski, but they slipped up in one vital place: There was a
question of why, if the governor was wearing a seatbelt, there was no mention of an injury
to his stomach, which he surely would have suffered if he was wearing a seatbelt. The
tapes give us the answer. The EMT says, "he's complaining of excruciating pain in his
leg, abdomen and chest" (emphasis added).
New Jersey: 4/12/07: Governor
Corzine of New Jersey was critically injured in a car accident on 4/12/07. According to
news reports, he suffered a broken collar bone, six broken ribs on both sides, a broken
sternum, a broken lower vertebra, and a broken leg, but no head injury. Colonel Fuentes,
the head of the New Jersey state police was quoted as saying that he did not know if the
governor was wearing a seatbelt "but he often does not".
CORZINE ACCIDENT: 4/16/07. The
seatbelt scammers, in their desperate effort at damage control, are putting out so many
confliciting stories that they are undermining their own credibility. One report,
published in the New York Times, USA Today and Bloomberg, even asserted that
"the unbelted governor was thrown from the front seat to the back seat" which
would be very interesting, if true, since it would disprove Newton's first law of
motion. Another report stated that the SUV hit the guard rail sideways, even though
the pictures clearly show that it hit the rail head on. Another report stated that the
Dodge Ram hit the passenger side of the SUV, even though the pictures show no damage on
the passenger side except possibly at the very front, which cannot be clearly seen in the
pictures.
As to what actually happened, all we can say for sure, as shown in the photographs of the
accident, is that the SUV hit the guard rail head on and broke through it, and that the
SUV jack-knifed by about 15 degrees. (5/1/07: The media are now showing a doctored picture
of the SUV, making it look as though the accident took place in daylight, where the
retouch artist has taken out the 15 degree jack-knife).
4/30/07. A press report appearing in all the media at this time claims
that governor Corzine apologized for not wearing a seatbelt. If you read the quote
carefully, however, you note that all he said was that he set a bad example. In what way
he did not say. Driving at 91 mph is certainly setting a bad example. The problem for the
seatbelt scammers is that the governor's injuries are consistent with wearing a seatbelt
and not consistent with not wearing a seatbelt.


Notice that the upper body and waist injuries to
the governor, as described in the press and on the tape, coincide exactly with the seat
belt.
(The forces were calculated by accepting the published figure of 30 mph at which the SUV
hit the guard rail. This was based on the following considerations: The pictures clearly
show that the vehicle stopped in its own length, 17 feet, after hitting the rail.
According to our calculations, this means the vehicle stopped in 0.77 seconds after
hitting the rail for an average deceleration rate of 57 feet per second squared, or 1.77g.
However, the deceleration rate when the vehicle hit the guard rail must have been much
higher, so the maximum force on the governor would have been much higher).
Here's a little item
you might enjoy (or maybe not): Twin Falls, Idaho, May 4, 2007. Two canoeists went
out to retrieve the body of a suicide victim. When they came to shore with the victim the
sheriff was waiting for them. He wrote them a ticket for not wearing a life preserver.
Here's a little statistic you might not have been
aware of. Accoding to NHTSA, 55% of
drivers involved in fatal collisions have previous convictions for reckless driving. Since
there are usually two drivers involved in a fatal collision, that would indicate that most
fatal collisions are caused by drivers with previous convictions for reckless driving.
Cars do not cause accidents. Drivers cause accidents.
The following picture and story appeared in the
Idaho Statesman on April 21, 2007. Visit www.idahostatesman.com


It's hard to open your seatbelt when you're hanging upside down from
the belt.
Note: This is probably how Bethany Ashmoore's
babies died, trapped upside down in their "child safety seats" with their heads
under water (see our newspaper
gallery on this website). More such cases in our seatbeltvictims
file.
Thought for the day:
In the event of a side impact collision near the front or rear of a vehicle, an unbelted
driver or passenger may be thrown against the side of the vehicle and suffer a
bruised arm; a belted driver or passenger may be thrown against the shoulder belt and
suffer a broken neck.
Here's an interesting little fact you might not
have known. Today's "emergency locking retractors"
will not only lock up in a deceleration but also in a roll-over, thus preventing you from
taking any evasive action to prevent your head from being crushed as the roof caves in. Of
course roofs dont usually crush if you roll over into water, so the belt just keeps
you pinned upside down while you're drowning.
FMVSS
208: Since many seatbelt laws state that they apply only
to seatbelts meeting FMVSS 208, we thought we would post FMVSS 208 so you could read it
for yourself and determine if your seatbelts comply with FMVSS 208. Remember, though, that
FMVSS 208 has changed frequently over the years and most seatbelt laws do not state which
version of FMVSS 208 your seatbelts need to comply with.
Legislators: How many of you have actually
read the FMVSS that you are forcing on the American people? How many of you actually
understand them? You are taking them on faith. But they are not worthy of your faith. The
bureaucrats are making these standards so long, convoluted and incomprehensible that
you won't bother to read them and, if you read them, that you won't understand them. Most
of these so -called "standards" are both inane and insane. Some of it is
just plain gibberish.
Congress: Over the last ten years,
congress has spent more than a billion dollars to foist the seatbelt scam on the American
people. Is this really what we want congress to spend our money on?
23 USC 157. Over the years, the seatbelt scammers have gotten
their false claims enshrined in the U.S. Code in not just one, but five different
places - implicitly and explicitly - in order to sell seatbelts and justify ripping people
off for not wearing them. These are 23 USC 153, 157, 402, 405 and 406. 153 and 157 came
from earlier authorization bills but they have never been repealed. Since we have not
previoulsy posted 23 USC 157 we thought we would call it to your attention.
1. Although, when this section was drafted, they had not
yet thought of referring to seatbelts as "safety" belts, notice the heading:
"Safety incentive grants for the use of seatbelts". The psychological trick is
to state the falsehood as an accepted fact. Thus, the use of the word "safety"
is supposed to make you think that seatbelts will make you safer, and dissuade you from
questioning this assertion.
2.Notice the words "incentive grants". In other
words, they are offering bribes to states, using your tax money, to bamboozle and coerce
people into using seatbelts.
3. Notice paragraph (a)(6): "Savings to the federal
government". Again, the falsehood is stated as an accepted fact. This section goes on
to state: "The term 'savings to the federal government' means the amount of Federal
budget savings relating to Federal medical costs (including savings under medicare and
medicaid programs under titles XVIII and XIX of the Social Security Act (42 USC 1395 et
seq)), as determined by the Secretary." This pseudolegalistic drivel is supposed to
make you think that forcing people to wear seatbelts is going to save the federal
government money. (Notice it doesn't say it will save you money). The false claim is made
explicit in paragraph (b) (2)(B) where it says, "The amount that is equal to the
savings to the Federal government due to any increase in State seatbelt use...." In
other words, take for granted that such savings exist. Dont try to present any evidence
(there isn't any), don't try to persuade people, just state the falsehood as an accepted
fact and hope no one will question it.
4.Notice the words, "as determined by the
Secretary". In other words, the Secretary (of Transportation) can give, or withhold,
millions of dollars in these pork barrel grants to states as he sees fit.
5. Notice section (f): "Innovative Seat Belt Project
Allocations". In other words, they are going to give states millions of dollars of
your tax money to think up new ways to bamboozle and coerce people into using seatbelts.
Sub paragraph (5) says the amount of allocation "shall not be less than $100,000 per
year". This is supposed to make you think it's small potatoes. But notice no upper
limit is given. And when you look at the totals authorized for Section 157, it came to fivehundredfortysix million dollars.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HR 5576:
Your attention is called in particular to the
Senate report, "Highway Safety Programs". Notice the following statements:
1. "Promote High Visibility Enforcement".
Police harassment required by federal law. Have the American people really sunk so low
that they are prepared to accept this?
2. "Educate prosecutors and judges". This is an arrogant interference by
the legislative branch in the judicial branch of government, in violation of the
separation of powers as provided by the U.S. Constitution.
3."To supplement NHTSA's overall safety belt effort, the Committee recommends funding
to continue the "Click It Or Ticket" national public service message
program". In other words, use taxpayer money to spread lying propaganda and threats
to bamboozle or intimidate people into using these dangerous devices.
Notice that the House report is much more guarded
in its language, referring only to the authority granted the committee under P.L. 109-59.
We need to be clear on where these "Click it
or Ticket" campaigns are coming from. They are not coming from your local police.
They are not coming for from your state police. They are not coming from your state
government. They are coming from the United States Senate.
The last report says "The federal government's
regulatory role in motor vehicle and highway safety began in September l966".
Since then, this particular federal bureaucracy has cost the American people thousands of
lives and billions of dollars.
We have added the full text of the revised version
of 23 USC 406
to our documents section. It
is important to study 23 USC 402, 405 and 406 carefully to understand what is motivating
state legislatures, state transportation departments, and state police, under
pressure from NHTSA, (which is under pressure from congress) to promote the seatbelt scam.
(23 USC 402 and 405 can also be found in our documents section).
We have also added a link to William Holdorf's
paper, The Fraud of Seatbelt Laws,
to our documents
section. We already have a link on this page. This paper is worth reading again just to
remind us of the sordid history of the seatbelt scam. Mr. Holdorf tells us how airbags
entered the picture. Air bags are every bit as dangerous and impractical as seatbelts.
Notice that congress took the advice of two lawyers, Elizabeth (now senator) Dole and Joan
Claybrook, neither of whom knew a stress tensor from a hole in the ground, and went
against the advice of competent engineers who tried to explain to them that airbags were
not a practical proposition.
From Friedl Pfeiffer's biography: "I had been driving through a downpour to Hailey, about 12 miles from
Sun Valley, when my car started to fishtail. I fought the slide until the car flipped
over, throwing me right through the convertible top and into the sage brush. I was lucky
to survive with only a few bumps and bruises.... but the yellow convertible was gone for
good". (From "Nice Goin" by Friedl Pfeiffer, p80)
Note: If Mr. Pfeiffer had been wearing a seatbelt, the car would have landed on top of him
and he would have been killed. As it was, he survived with only a few bumps and bruises. SEATBELTS KILL! Stop the seatbelt scam!
FOR MORE ON
LEGISLATION, CLICK HERE
The ultimate source of all seatbelt harassment campaigns. We
thought you might like to see the High Visibility Enforcement clause of HR 3 as it finally
emerged from the conference committee. This is now the law of the land. See Sec.2009.
The Process:
1. Congress passes the
laws instructing the Secretary of Transportation to promote the seatbelt scam and other
Orwellian schemes, and appropriates hundreds of millions of dollars for the purpose.
2. The Secretary assigns the job to the Director (Administrator) of the National Highway
Transportation Safety Administration.
3. The Administrator carries out the instructions of the Secretary, organizing and
directing his huge propaganda and lobbying machine to try to get states to pass these
Orwellian laws, funded by hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money for bribes and
expenses.
Once again, please
tell your senators and representatives to repeal 23 USC 153, 157, 402, 405 and 406.
Nausea. This
NHTSA document, which is intended for state police and transportation departments, will
show you what is behind the "click-it-or-ticket" campaigns.
The Manitoba
study. Respectable scholars, working independently, have concluded, after
careful study of the available data, that seatbelts are harmful. They are: Professor Adams
of London University, based on the european data, Professor Schreier of the University of
Connecticut (retired), based on the American data, and Professors Levine and Basilevsky,
at the University of Winnipeg, based on the Canadian data. No government has put forward
any evidence to refute these studies.
Why is it important to fight the seatbelt laws? (Read on)