Saving lives or collecting revenue?
The Midland Police Department has announced an increase of enforcement of seat belt, child safety seat, and speeding laws in the city. Here's the press release:
It's a simple fact - Seatbelts save lives! That is why the Midland Police Department will join other cities around the State and Nation for the Click It Or Ticket program and the Wave STEP program. The event will take place beginning Tuesday, November 18 and run through Monday, December 1, 2003. [emphasis added]During this short, but intense, period of time, officers will strictly enforce seat belt and child passenger safety laws in connection with Click It Or Ticket. A total of 252 overtime hours will be worked, which are funded by a grant. The objective is not to write tickets. Click It Or Ticket is about saving lives.
In addition, traffic officers will work 33 hours of overtime, also funded through a grant, to focus on speeding violators, along with seat belt violators, for the Wave STEP program. The major intersections being worked include: Midkiff and Wadley; Midland Drive and Loop 250; Midkiff and Loop 250; Andrews Highway and Illinois; Andrews Highway and Cuthbert; and Andrews Highway and Midland Drive. [emphasis added]
Texas law requires drivers, front seat passengers, and children under 17 years of age, to be buckled up. A child less than four years old or less than 36 inches tall must be secured in a child safety seat.
The fine for not wearing a seat belt is $132.[emphasis added] The fine for not properly restraining a child is $182.
***Interested media can arrange a ride along with an officer by contacting Tina Jauz at 685.7593***
A tax funded grant is paying for the extra overtime for the police officers. And there will no doubt be revenue generated from the issuance of the tickets. It's a no lose situation for the municipality but not necessarily so good for the citizenry. So, how far does the government need to go to protect citizens from themselves? Should the government try to educate the citizens or should it fine citizens for non compliance? Those are question that each of us has to answer for him/herself, but at least one writer thinks the seat belt law is a government intrusion on individual rights. Here's what Dr. Walter E. Williams says about it:
Whether seat belt usage is a good idea is beside the point, for daily exercise, nutritious meals, eight hours sleep and cultural and intellectual enrichment might also be good ideas. The point is whether government has a right to coerce us into taking care of ourselves. If eating what we wish is our business and not that of government, then why should we accept government's coercing us to wear seatbelts? America's tyrants might answer, "We just haven't gotten around to dictating diets yet." Some might argue, but falsely so, that the problem with people exercising their liberty to drive without seatbelts, ride motorcycles without helmets or eat in unhealthy ways, is that if they become injured or sick society will be burdened with higher healthcare costs. That's not a problem of liberty but one of socialism. There's no liberty-based argument for forcing one person to care for the needs of another. Under socialism one is obliged to care for another. A parent-child relationship emerges between the citizen and the government. That was not the vision of our Founders.
Well, here I am making a big libertarian pitch for not wearing a seatbelt, so in the interest of full disclosure I should say that I always buckle up and once I even considered buying a motorcycle helmet to wear when I drive my SUV. I just wish I could wear my seatbelt simply because I feel safer and not because of a fear of fines.
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