THE SAFETY CHOICE COALITION

 

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DEDICATED TO THE PROPOSITION THAT  WHAT YOU DO FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY SHOULD BE DECIDED BY YOU AND NOT BY THE GOVERNMENT

WE ARE FIGHTING TO REPEAL:

WORKING TOGETHER WE CAN BE MORE EFFECTIVE THAN  WORKING SEPARATELY

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Visit our Picture Gallery
and take a look at what
happens to real cars in
real fatal accidents

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Seatbelts have been killing people for more than thirty years. Read some of their stories.

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If you still think seatbelts
are a good idea you need
to read our report

Read published accounts
of what seatbelts do to
real people in real accidents


Read what other people
think of mandatory
seatbelt laws

 

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Letters to the editor     Newspaper gallery      Picture gallery      Seatbelts Kill

This site is dedicated to the memory of Commander John C. Waldron and the men of Torpedo Squadron 8, and to all others who gave their lives to preserve that liberty which some are now trying to take away from us.
"We here highly resolve that these honored dead shall not have died in vain".

This web-site was last updated on July 2,  2009

Legislative alert: We stand now at a major cross-roads. The current authorization for NHTSA to make seatbelt grants is about to expire. The House committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is now drafting legislation to renew this authorization as part of the new highway bill for the next five or possibly even ten years. If we can get this money taken out, we can stop the spread of this blood-soaked scam here and now. If we fail, we are going  to have to fight NHTSA in every state every year for the next five or ten years. The stakes could not be higher. There is as yet no bill number. We need to get in early, now, and fight these provisions   throughout the entire legislative process. Please visit http://transportation.house.gov/about.aspx and review the list of members of the committee. If any of the members are in your state  please write to them now and ask them to take this money out of the bill.

Alert, Alert: On May 18, the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee of the House of Representatives held a hearing to justify the inclusion of the auto "safety" clauses of the expiring SAFETEALU bill in the new one. Unless they are stopped, the same murderous lies will be included in the new bill and thousands more will die. For a list of the members, visit http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=160&Itemid=61 Write to Chairman Waxman or the members of the committee,  if any of them are in your state, and ask them to repeal 23 USC 405 and 406, and take seatbelts out of 23 USC 402.
To read the testimony presented at this hearing, visit:

http://energycommerce.house.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1624:energy-and-commerce-subcommittee-hearing-on-auto-safety-current-mandates-and-emerging-issues&catid=122:media-advisories&Itemid=55

This testimony is going to be used to try to extend legislation which has caused the death of thousands of Americans and will kill thousands more if it is not stopped.  All of the witnesses basically regurgitated the same tired old falsehoods being peddled by NHTSA. All of the witnesses belonged the establishment which is trying to preserve the status quo. It was particularly disappointing that the committee gave a platform to Jeffrey Runge and Joan Claybrook, both of whom have repeatedly made false statements under oath, and, by their advocacy of seatbelts,  share in the responsibility for the deaths of thousands of Americans. They continued to make false statements under oath at this hearing. Particulary disturbing was the testimony of one Robert Strassburger who, supposedly has a degree in Mechanical Engineering. If Mr. Strassburger is a competent Mechanical Engineer, then he must have known that some of the statements he was making were false. That would make his testimony perjury and subject him to five years in jail. 
It is a pity that the committee did not give a platform to opposing points of view, given what is at stake. For our  reaction to this testimony, see our Response.

The Subcommittee on Highways held a hearing last summer on this matter which you can watch by clicking on the link on the committee web site.

http://transportation.house.gov/hearings/hearingDetail.aspx?NewsID=702

The hearing lasted about two hours and it is enough to make your blood run cold. None of the participants, neither the members nor the witnessess, had the vaguest idea what they were talking about, yet all spoke as if they were great experts, and all took for granted that they had a right and an obligation to use  police and propaganda to force their ill informed opinions on the public. The testimony of Mr. Poits, the NHTSA representative, was absolutely staggering in its falsity and mendacity. We urge you to watch this hearing, even though it will turn your stomach. Take a shot of whiskey before you watch it, and keep a bucket handy in case you have to throw up.

Insurance companies responsible for seatbelt coercion? It now seems that it is the auto insurance companies who are behind the campaign to force motorists to wear seatbelts. They apparently believe that if they can force everyone to wear a seatbelt it will save them money. They got this silly idea from IIHS, who got it from NHTSA, who got it from Congress, who got it from Joan Claybrook, who probably got it from the same guy who thought Corvairs were prone to roll over. 

It might be a good idea if everyone wrote to their insurance company at this time and asked them to stop promoting seatbelt coercion. Here are the addresses of the principal auto insurance companies:

Mr. Edward P. Rust, Jr., President
State Farm Inusrance Company
1 State Farm Plaza
Bloomington, IL 61710-0001

Mr. Thomas J. Wilson, President
Allstate Insurance Company
2775 Sanders Road
Northbrook, IL 60062-6127

Mr. Stanley W. McNaughton, President
PEMCO Insurance Company
325 Eastlake Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98109-5466

Mr. Olza M. Nicely, President
GEICO Insurance Company
5260 Western Avenue
Chevy Chase, MD 20815

 

Seatbelts, anyone? New Haven Register, June 16, 2009. "... David Servin died at the scene and Krakowski...died a short time later after being extricated from the car. ....The car was so badly crushed we thought it was a hatchback of some kind...The way the car was mangled, that police car had to be going really fast" (The victims were hit by a police car).

Seatbelts, anyone? The Guardian, UK, July 1, 2009: "Girl, 14, rescued after plane crash...only survivor...told her father how she was thrown clear...(only injuries were) a fractured collarbone and cuts and bruises to her face"

More seatbelt fatalities:

New Haven Register, June 16, 2009. "(17 month old) Montez Turner, Jr. died in the crash when the Ford Escape in which he was riding flipped over" This child almost certainly died because it was strapped  into a booster seat. You may be sure that if the child had not been in a booster seat, the police would have mentioned it. The booster seat elevates the child and holds it in place, thus guaranteeing that the child will be crushed to death when the roof caves in. (For further information in what booster seats do to children in roll-overs, see puzzles 2 and 3 below).

Tulsa World, June 9, 2009:   "....Salter died in a one vehicle collision...when his 2002 Freightliner left the road...and struck a tree. Salter was wearing a seatbelt (state troopers) said". Note: A Freightliner is a big truck. We don't have enough crush data on big trucks to know if Salter was crushed to death or killed by his seatbelt. If he was not crushed to death, he was almost certainly killed by his seatbelt. If he was going 40 mph or less when he hit, he would most likely have survived, had he not been wearing a seatbelt.

Colusa County Sun Herald, June 10, 2009: "Diego Valdez was killed...when his l991 Dodge drifted off the road and struck a tree...(CHP Officer) Owens said... Valdez was wearing a seatbelt and shoulder harness, he collided head on with a tree at an unknown speed, sustaining fatal injuries as a result of the impact". Based on our research, if Valdez was going over 45 mph when he hit the tree, he would have been crushed to death. If he was going under 45 mph he would have been killed by his seatbelt. If he was going 40 mph or less when he hit, he would most likely have survived, had he not been wearing a seatbelt.

Las Vegas Review Journal, January 25, 2009: "...Gonzalez was killed in a single vehicle, roll-over accident...the accident report stated that the left half of the Explorer's roof was crushed inward and the entire roof was buckled and bowed. Gonzalez seatbelt was found partially extended. Gonzalez, who sustained head injuries, died of blunt force trauma". It's the old story - classic rollover - head bashed in when the roof collapsed; seatbelt prevented her from taking evasive action. In this case "seatbelt partially extended"  may indicate that she was trying to avoid the blow. It's a wonder she was able to extend it at all - the seatbelt would have locked in the roll-over. But people have great strength in desperate situations. Had she not been wearing a seatbelt, she would most likely have survived. Her family are suing the Ford Motor Company because the seatbelt didn't save her, "among other things"!

Rhode Island: The Rhode Island state legislature has gone into recess without, apparently, passing a primary seatbelt law, but will meet again in July and then again in September. The House and Senate  passed, and sent to the governor, H5983 SubA as amended on the floor. There does not appear to be any provision for a primary seatbelt law in the bill as passed. 
The Rhode Island state legislature, after due deliberation, also passed S 591, which raises the maximum age at which a child is required to be strapped into a death-trap seat from 6 to 7, and the maximum height from 53 inches to 56 inches.

Florida: Florida has enacted a primary seatbelt law.  Throughout the legislative season, we kept a careful eye on Florida, doing repeated text searches on the Florida legislative web site. At no time did a primary seatbelt law bill show up. Our initial information came from the Orlando Sentinel of May 4, 2009, which stated that the provision had passed as an amendment, but to what bill they did not say. Further research, however, indicates that that the provision passed as a standalone bill.

It seems that there were two bills: HB 1 and SB 344. HB 1 was set aside in favor SB 344, which was passed by both Houses and signed by Governor Crist on May 5, 2009. Judas Iscariot sold out his Master for 30 pieces of silver. The Florida state legislature sold out their constituents for a $35.5 million dollar federal grant.
The previous high for a bribe offered by NHTSA to a state to pass primary seatbelt law was $21 million dollars, also to Florida, three years ago, which Florida turned down.

The NHTSA lobbying machine at work. The following excepts are from the results of a Pro-Quest search:

1."Marchetti Memorial Foundation Urges Florida Media to Help as State Legislature Considers Life-Saving Seatbelt Law Changes. Anonymous, U.S. Newswire, Washington, April 24. NHTSA research shows that...." Notice that this press release, which was, supposedly put out by a grieving family in Florida, was actually written by "Anonymous" and released over something claiming to be "U.S. Newswire" in Washington, D.C. Notice that the first word of the press release is "NHTSA".

2. "Marchetti Memorial Foundation Urges Florida Media to Help, as State Legislature Considers Life-Saving Changes. Anonymous, PR Newswire, New York. Copyright PR Newswire Association LLC, April 24, 2009. Tampa, Fla., April 24 /PRNewswire/ Tampa, Fla. - The Katie Marchetti Memorial Foundation is urging news media across the state to lend their editorial support to help pass important changes to Florida's existing safety belt law to save lives and reduce highway injuries. FAILURE OF THE STATE'S LEGISLATORS TO PASS SUCH  LIFE-SAVING MEASURES BY JUNE 30 WILL DEPRIVE FLORIDIANS OF $35.5 MILLION IN FEDERAL FUNDS FOR ROAD IMPROVEMENTS"
The statement pretty much speaks for itself. Notice that this one, also written by "Anonymous", was released by something claiming to be "PR Newswire" out of New York.

It is simply too nauseating for words. Exploiting the grief of the Marchetti family (assuming they are genuine) to force this blood-soaked scam on the people of Florida.  It is NHTSA which is responsible for this.

The story  in the Orlando Sentinel of May 4, 2009 quoted one Eric Bolton, said to be a spokesman for NHTSA. The falsehoods which Eric Bolton fed to the Sentinel are absolutely breathtaking. ("Seatbelts are the most important safety feature....reduce risk to front seat occupants by 45%....etc.,etc.) It is the classic Big Lie technique of Adolf Hitler, except that it is very difficult to prove in a court of law what a person knew and when he knew it.  So we have to call them falsehoods rather than lies.

Today's amusement for engineers: Visiting the "safety" page of the "Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers"  we are told that they have now decided to put "force limiters" on seatbelts. We know it isn't really funny, but you may as well laugh as cry.

Puzzle A car smashes perpendicularly into a concrete wall at 30 mph. We've never actually seen such an accident but since NHTSA seems to base almost all its design criteria on this scenario, we thought we would use it. A passenger in the vehicle, weighing 150 pounds and restrained by a seatbelt, comes to a stop in one foot. (This is based on NHTSA crash test videos which show about a foot of crush at the front of the vehicle). What would be the force of the seatbelt on the passenger?
Since NHTSA is now pushing "Anton's Law" requiring children up to 8 years old to be placed in booster seats, we offer you an alernative. Instead of an adult passenger, assume it is a child weighing 60 pounds in a booster seat which comes to a stop in one foot. What would be the force of the restraining  straps on the child?

Puzzle answers: The force on the 150 pound passenger would be 4,509 pounds.  The force on the 60 pound child would be 1,804 pounds.  We have posted the solution so you can check to answers for yourself.

 

Puzzle Answer:

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Live action edge strike, by Robert E. Larsen

For the complete report on the solution to the puzzle below, click on puzzle2.html or puzzle2.pdf

Puzzle contest: In our previous puzzle, we showed what the booster seat straps would do to a child in a head-on collision. What would the booster seat straps do to a child in a roll-over? In their analysis of a roll-over accident, Yamaguchi, et. al.*, find an angular velocity of 4.89 radians per second when the roof edge strikes the ground after the vehicle has rotated  over 90 degrees. Assuming a typical four-year-old (Anton) in a booster seat in the vehicle, with what force would the child's neck be driven into the edge of the shoulder belt?
*Yamaguchi, G.T., et. al., "Development of a Computational Method to Predict Occupant Motions  and Neck Loads During Rollovers" SAE Technical Paper Series, 2005-01-0300; Biomechanics 2005 (SP-1929); Presented at the SAE 2005 World Congress, Detroit, Michigan, April 11-14, 2005.

Note to those who want to use the police to force seatbelts on the American people. If you dont know the answer to this puzzle, maybe you shouldn't be pontificating about seatbelts.

Puzzle No. 3: It takes a high degree of centrifugal force to cause a 4,000 pound SUV to roll over. If a vehicle occupant, such as a child in a booster seat, is tied to the vehicle, then that occupant, too, would experience a high degree of centrifugal force. What would be the force on a child in a booster seat during the first 90 degrees of an SUV rollover?

Solution to Puzzle No. 3: The graph on the left shows the force on a child sitting on the inside of the rotation for rollovers at speeds ranging from 59 to 95 fps (40 to 65 mph). The discontinuity in the solution indicates a vault. The graph on the right shows the direction of the force in the transverse plane: omega is the angle in radians which the force makes with the perpendicular to the side of the car; a negative value indicates that the force component perpendicular to the seat is downward -i.e., towards the seat, and a positive value indicates that the force component is upward - that is, away from the seat and against the straps. Notice that when the force is highest,   just before vault, all the force is directed against the straps.

 

For the full report, click on one of the following links: puzzlesol3.pdf  puzzlesol3.htm    puzzlesol3.doc (Note: this is a 55 page report).

Minnesota: Governor Pawlenty has signed HB 878, making Minnesota's seatbelt law primary. On May 20, 2009, we sent the following message to the governor of Minnesota. The message pretty well speaks for itself:

Dear Governor Pawlenty,

    It is of extreme urgency that you veto HF 878. This bill would make
Minnesota's seatbelt law primary, as a result of which many will die.
In all the sordid history of the seatbelt scam, HF 878 represents a new low
in deceit and corruption. The seatbelt scammers first tried to pass a
primary seatbelt law as a stand alone bill, HF 0042. This went nowhere, the
legislators knowing how the people of Minnesota feel about this type of
legislation. They  then tried to slip it into the transportation
appropriation bill, SF 1276, hoping it wouldn't get noticed. It did get
noticed and the legislature adopted a House substitute, HF 1309, which did
not contain the provision. Now they have managed to slip the provision into
HF 878, a long bill about highway centerline relocation, county and
municipal state aid, advertising placement, plats of land, etc. Not one word
about seatbelts even in the long description. We did a text search  two
weeks ago and the seatbelt provision did not show up. They must have slipped
this provision in at the last minute. Probably even most legislators don't
know about it. They have been had.

    The reason the sponsors are doing this is because they have been
promised several million dollars by NHTSA if they can get this bill passed.
This bill has nothing to do with safety. It is all about cynical greed.
Seatbelts have killed thousands of people. There is not a single verified
case of a person's life ever being saved by a seatbelt in an automobile
accident. You can find the full story on our website, www.safetychoice.org

After SF 0042 was "stricken from the record" the seatbelt scammers actually attempted to slip this provision into the funding bill for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (cf. Rhode Island), a long and detailed bill where they hoped it would not be noticed. This seems to be the latest ploy suggested by Dave Kelly and his gang of scoundrels. The bill was SF1276. The bill was passed by the senate and then tabled in favor of the corresponding House bill, HF 1309, which does not contain the seatbelt provision.

SF 0042 was "stricken and re-referred to finance (committee)" on February 2, 2009. HF 0108 and SF 0042 would make Minnesota's seatbelt law primary. SF 0099 would impose Anton's law on Minnesota. Sent to transportation committee on 1/15/09.  SF 0042 passed second reading on 1/29/09 and was re-referred to the judiciary committee.
    SF 0042 was passed by the transportation committee on 1/13/09 and sent to judiciary which reported the bill out for second reading on 1/27/09. We watched the transportation committee hearing on this bill. There were only two witnesses for this bill, two ladies from a small medical college. Each of them spoke for only about a minute and their testimony was somewhat vague and unenthusiastic. None of the senators made any attempt to question the ladies or to detain them in any way. The rest of the meeting was devoted to the senators themselves speaking in favor of the bill.   What they were saying was absurd on the face of it. One senator referred to an accident in which a driver, "drunk and crazy", had rolled over an SUV at 84 miles per hour. Therefore, he concluded, all persons should be forced to wear seatbelts. Another senator said that even though the mail from her constituents had been overwhelmingly opposed to this bill, she intended to vote for it anyway. Another senator gave it as his opinion that "libertarians" should not be allowed to stand in the way of this bill.  During the course of the discussion it came out that NHTSA had offered Minnesota a bribe of $3.4 million dollars to pass this bill and that most, or all of it would go to the "Safety Council". In this connection, "Safety Council" usually means a group of present or former state troopers whose main job is promoting the seatbelt scam. After the other senators had had their say, one senator, who had not spoken previously, asked, in effect "why are you doing this?" Her actual words were, "What do you think the chances are of this bill actually passing? This seems to me to be a perennial thing".   The sponsor of the bill, Sen. Murphy, replied that "it will be difficult with all these committees". A voice vote was then taken. It seemed to us that, when the nos were called for, there was a faint "no", but we could not be sure. The chairman looked startled, paused for an instant, and then declared the bill passed. You can watch this hearing yourself by visiting: http://www.senate.leg.state.mn.us/media/media_list.php?ls=86&archive_year=2009&category=committee&type=video#header

Legislative news: We have moved most of the 2009 legislative news to leg2009

Attention, activists: If your state does not have a primary seatbelt law, check your state budget bills. NHTSA is trying to get legislators to slip primary seatbelt laws into state budget bills, hoping they won't get noticed among all the pages of fine print, or, if they do get noticed, hoping that they won't get taken out. This is a rule violation in most states, since legislation is generally not allowed in appropriation bills.

Kansas: SB 59, the primary seatbelt law bill, is now officially dead.  For details on how the seatbelt scammers attempted to get this bill through, see below.

New Hampshire: HB 383: In an unparalled act of wickness and folly, the New Hampshire House of Representatives, on April 9, 2009, passed a primary seatbelt law. Mercifully, the New Hampshire state senate has laid the bill on the table. This usually means the bill is dead, but theoretically the bill can be taken off the table at any time. Contrary to the usual practice in New Hampshire, the gang of scoundrels who sponsored this bill did not include a fiscal impact statement. NHTSA must have offered them millions of dollars to pass this bill, because getting a primary seatbelt law passed in New Hampshire would be the greatest triumph of Dave Kelly's life. We trust that the senate is not going to take this bill off the table, but we are going to continue to watch this situation very carefully.

Nevada: The motion to pass SB 116, the Nevada primary seatbelt law bill,  failed in the Assembly transportation committee on April 23, 2009, on a voice vote. SB 116 was passed by the Nevada state senate on 2/24/09. The vote was 12 to 9. SB 116 was recommended for passage by the senate transportation committe on 2/20/09.  As expected, NHTSA came back for another try in Nevada.  Introduced and sent to committee on energy, infrastructure and transportation on February 4, 2009. No sponsor was listed. Given the fact that this bill is about as popular with the people of Nevada as Osama bin Laden, this is not surprising. This bill would  amend the existing law by removing the limitation to secondary enforcement.
    The summary of this bill states that it will have no fiscal effect on either state or local government, a statement which is patently false. The reason this bill was introduced is because NHTSA offered Nevada millions of dollars to pass it.
    The minutes of the senate transportation committee hearing on this bill have now been posted. The strategy of the proponents at this hearing was to absolutely swamp the committee with the number of witnesses, mainly from the police departement and the health department, the two agencies which would get most of the money. Their testimony was such a mass of falsehoods and absurdities as to defy description. We will quote just one example for the amusement of engineers. One lady senator, testifying for the bill, stated that she was rear ended but that she was saved by her seatbelt and air bag. She added that the responding police officer told her that if she hadn't been wearing her seatbelt she would have been thrown through the wind shield.

West Virginia:    The West Virginia state legislature has adjourned  without passing SB 336, the primary seatbelt law bill. The West Virginia senate passed SB 336 by a vote of 38 to 2 on 3/27/09.  This represented the first time in six years that such a bill has even made it out of committee in West Virginia. It's clear that NHTSA  made an all out effort to get this bill passed in West Virginia this year.

Vermont: H.0147 has been assigned to the rules committee in the Vermont state senate. H.0147, which would make Vermont's seatbelt law primary,  was passed by the Vermont House of Representatives on April 15, 2009 by a vote of 104 to 40. This  bill is primarily about regulating the use of cell phones in automobiles but, slipped into the middle, is a brief paragraph making Vermont's seatbelt law primary. No justification is given, but a subsequent clause states that the state shall be entitled to accept money from the federal government for making the seatbelt law primary. Thus, the House has infringed on the liberty of the people, and put their lives at risk, in return for thirty pieces of silver. We thank representative Rodgers for his courageous fight against this bill.

Maine: LD 221, SP 71 was passed by the House on 4/09/09 and by the senate on 1/14/09. This bill would exempt newspaper delivery persons from having to wear a seatbelt. LD 263 would allow motorists exempted from having to wear a seatbelt for medical reasons to display a placard to that effect on their vehicle. This bill was passed by the House on 4/09/09 but has been held up in the senate by senator Damon. This is the same senator Damon who, as chairman of the transportation committee was largely responsible, along with senator Sullivan and governor Baldacci, for Maine's   primary seatbelt law. We wrote to senator Damon at the time, so he is in full posession of the facts.

Illinois: HB 0166 and SB 0067 would require seatbelts on school buses. HB 0166 was rereferred to the rules committee on 3/13 under rule 19a. Originally sent to rules committee on 1/14/09. HB 0166 was sent to the vehicles and safety committee on 2/4/09. SB 0067 was initially assigned to transportation which, apparently, refused to consider it. On 3/05/09 it was assigned to the committee on special issues.  On 4/03/09 it was re-referred to the rules committee.

Fatal car crash pictures. For years we had to do a lot of work to find pictures of fatal car crashes (see our picture gallery and the pictures further down on this page). No more. Now you can find scores of pictures of fatal car crashes on youtube, under such titles as "World's worst car crashes", "Super insane car crashes", "Deadly car crashes", Horrible car crashes", etc., etc.. Contrary to what the titles imply, this is what most fatal car crashes look like. The FARS data base tells us that that the average car involved in a fatal crash was travelling at 56 mph and the average car involved in a fatal head-on collision was travelling at 66 mph. Collisions at these speeds are enough to reduce most cars to scrap and to crush the occupants to death.

8_63_040909_angels_crash.jpg (16895 bytes)

Seatbelts, anyone? This is the car in which Los Angeles pitcher Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunk driver on April 9, 2009 (FOX News photo).

Maryland: SB 189 passed by senate 46 to 0 on 2/26/09. Sent to House committee on environmental matters (sic), 2/27/09. SB 189 would exempt school buses from the seatbelt requirement. There was  a hearing on this bill in the House environmental affairs committee on March 31, 2009. No report. (Note: this bill passed the senate last year but it died in the House).

Seatbelts = death: Fayetteville Observer, 3/19/09. "...Williams was driving... when his SUV plunged into the Lumber river. His two passengers drowned. ...(they) were wearing seatbelts and were unable to escape."

No seatbelts  = minor injuries: Boston Herald, 3/23/09. "...two car crash.... travelling in close proximity at a high rate of speed (drag racing)...lost control at the same time and crashed into several trees...Dias, in front seat (of one of the cars) was killed. Neither Brandon nor his two passengers (in the other car) were wearing seatbelts. All three were treated for minor injuries and released." (Note: They do not say if Dias was wearing a seatbelt which means he probably was).

No seatbelts = minor injuries: "Jane (Clark)...hit a lamp post with such force that she knocked it over and overturned her small car.....She ruined the car but crawled out with nothing more serious than some ugly bruises". From "Kenneth Clark" by Meryle Secrest, page 88. (The car she was driving, a Wolseley Hornet, was not equipped with seatbelts).

Seatbelts kill: Toronto Star, March 16, 2009: "Total Horror:  ...Police yesterday recovered the bodies of Carolyn Bray and Joeline Robinson from the lake...The pair were riding in a two seat utility vehicle... carrying Robinson's niece in the back.... Bray's cart hit a pressure crack in the ice and went under. Jeni Robinson managed to jumpoff the back but Bray and Joelin, belted in and unable to free themselves as they were swallowed up by the frigid water, disappeared under the ice."

Seatbelts worthless: San Francisco Chronicle, October 16, 2008. "... the vehicle veered off the road, crossed a 30 foot shoulder, hopped an 18 inch embankment, and tumbled down more than 600 feet in darkness....The next morning rescuers found the three men, their seatbelts fastened, inside the vehicle. They were dead. The Jeep (Cherokee) was "rolled up to a ball" (Officer) Covello said. The cause of death for all three was blunt force trauma. An unsafe speed for conditions was a likely factor in the incident, (Officer) Covello said."

Seatbelts worthless: Daily Press (Virginia), December 30, 2008. "Owen Walter Carter.....driving a 2002 Chevrolet...ran off the road and struck a tree. (Police Sgt.) Cotten said Carter died at the scene. He was wearing a seatbelt".

Seatbelts?: Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, March 22, 2008: "Two men were killed in a violent crash on Route 22...State police...said...Charles Maines...was driving "in a careless an unattentive manner". He lost control of his car...crossed over into oncoming traffic, striking a...minivan driven by Gerald A Wilson...Both men were trapped in their vehicles and (their bodies) had to be extricated by hydraulic equipment."

Ejected?: Western Morning News, Plymouth (UK) October 18, 2008. "Andrew Kelly received fatal injuries when his car and two others were in a collision...Emergency services battled for nearly two hours to free Mr. Kelly from the car". (Note: If he'd been "ejected" he might have lived.)

These are not exceptional cases. This is how most fatal automobile accidents happen.

 

Congressional appropriations to promote the seatbelt scam. Congress  passed HR 1105, the omnibus appropriaton bill for fiscal 2009. This bill  contains the following provisions: