Seat belt ticket in Pahoa

[beejee]

quote:

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Originally posted by HereOnThePrimalEdge
Simply extend your steering wheel, gas and brake pedals all the way into the bed of your pickup, and there'll be no more big government infringements on your safety and well being.

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What a great mental picture that is....I'm still rolling. Thanks for the laugh HereOnThePrimalEdge. []

[hotinhawaii]

There can be significant injury without wearing a seatbelt while going only 10 mph. I once attended a fair where there was a state police demonstration about seat belts. I sat in a car seat on a trailer that was mounted on a slightly inclined track. I put my seat belt on and they released the seat to slide down the track. By the time the seat impacted at the bottom, I was going under 5 mph. The force of that impact was shockingly powerful!
Now couple that with someone coming at you at 30 mph and impacting you while you're going 10 mph, and the impact to you would be severe.
Click it or ticket!

[leilanidude]

They do special enforcements every month in Pahoa Village, looking for seatbelts, expired registration/safety, etc.

[Thunderfoot]

Whether the seat belt law is U.S. Constitutional compliant is really the question, since U.S citizens enjoy the right to travel interstate freely, wouldn't that apply to travel within a state ? The intent to be free in the constitution is clear, and the thought to restrict my right to travel if I do not wear a seat belt could be challenged Constitutionally because it restricts my freedom. My right to choose whether I want to wear a seat belt is what I question. Let us see the big picture here. It may be that law was enacted to save the State and County money and it saves lives, yes. But the government is not our parent, we still have the right to choose whether we wear a seat belt or not. The government can not create laws that violate the Constitution, yet they do it all the time as discussed in another thread about our social security numbers being on our driver's licenses and someone with deep pocket came along, challenged it and won. Hence the State no longer uses our social security numbers on our driver's license. Freedom is paramount in this country and whether individuals feel it is a safety issue or money saving issue, etc… does not trump the freedoms were given under the Constitution. States and Counties often make laws that conflict with our rights, but the system has ways for citizens to be heard by their government to address any issues citizens feel may be unconstitutional and an infringement on our freedoms.

So whether I agree with the seatbelt law is irrelevant if we look at it from a Constitutional viewpoint, and whether it interferes with our rights and freedoms

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

Whether the seat belt law is U.S. Constitutional compliant is really the question

I believe you can still ride your horse or in a buckboard wagon without a seat belt, as the Constitution clearly provides for.

[PunaLover]

quote:

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Originally posted by kalakoa

The chances of significant injury going 10 - 20 mph in town with hardly any cross traffic are minimal.

Regulations (especially traffic) aren't about personal judgement.

Obviously they can't be. But that's where's the cops discretion should kick in. If the issue is safety then cite me for driving unsafely, which in this situation would be hard to prove.

The rub is that the true purpose of my citation was to collect revenue for the state in as easy a way as possible. Fair enough. I call tickets "road tax" for that reason. But it's the pretending that it's about safety when it so obviously is not that is disgustingly disingenuous.

you can ride a motorcycle wo a helmet

Then do so. Please.

Testy are we. Actually I do wear a helmet when necessary ie. At significant speed or in traffic. If I'm taking the ol scooter down to the warm pond for an evening soak at a leisurely pace I don't. The state is not able to write laws for each situation, that's why we still have a brain.

Btw I've been in a near fatal motorcycle accident where a minivan hit me at 60 mph. I'm well aware of the value of safety gear WHEN NEEDED.

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[birdmove]

Exactly what happened to my wife maybe a year ago. She had unbuckled at the window at Starbucks across from Goodyear in Hilo when she approached the window to pay. Then, as she pulled out into the street, she buckled up again. Police man that she hadn't even noticed puleed her over. When she pointed out the latched seat belt she had on, he said, wlee, you buckled up after you saw me. But she hadn't seen him. She fought it and the judge reduced the fine.

Remember, we had better be buckled up BEFORE we enter the roadway. The police are doing this for a good cause...to save our butts! And to put money into the local system too.

quote:

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Originally posted by SuperGu

Friend of mine got a ticket in downtown Hilo. He was pulled over as he was putting his belt on while rolling out of a parking lot.


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* ALOHA *
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Jon in Keaau/HPP

[kalakoa]

that's where's the cops discretion should kick in

Those who can exercise discretion are usually not invited to become police officers.

Actually I do wear a helmet when necessary

Is this "fair" to those who must pay to pick up the pieces?

I'm all for "personal freedom" if it includes "personal responsibility". However, those who "choose" to ride without a helmet (legally or not) are raising costs for everyone.

At the risk of going off-topic, compare/contrast with building codes and permits: I don't enjoy the "personal freedom" to build whatever I want, because the "safety" of my construction (plumbing, electrical) is governed by statutory legislation, not subject to "discretion", and especailly not left to my "judgement", even where it involves my private property whcih is not open to the public. The true purpose of the permit-license-fee-inspection regime is obviously revenue generation; the only "safety" aspect is guaranteed employment and tax revenue.

As for the seatbelt enforcement, it was in all the papers this week, no secret, no surprise. Feel free to invoke your constitutional right to trial, though; we're all paying for the shiny new judiciary complex, might as well get some use out of it.

[lavalava]

Wow you must be new here. They have been running that seatbelt routine between 7-11 and the banks for awhile now. One spots you and radios to his partner to pull you over. Now you know. And knowing is half the battle!

[DTisme]

I remember the ticket someone here got last year in Pahoa while engine was running and they were parked in the bank parking lot. So you don't even have to be moving. You just have to have your engine running. My habit of 40 years has been to turn on the engine then put on the belt (so I have AC running ASAP!), but since that ticket reported here, I've been reversing that. Just be glad Click It Or Ticket in Hawaii is $102. In California, it's $271.

(edit fixed typo)