sewilco@mecc.UUCP (Scot E. Wilcoxon) (08/18/86)
[net.news is not for newspaper items, so it was removed from subject] In article <976@dadla.UUCP> rob@dadla (Rob Vetter) writes: > > In a recent statement, the NTSB (National Transportation and > Safety Board) said that lap belts could cause injury (to > kidneys, spine, and other lower viceral organs) in the case > of an accident, and that they "don't know" if the benefits of > wearing them outweigh the risks. >... Rob quotes above that the NTSB doesn't know if the benefits of wearing lap belts "outweigh the risks". He must mean whether the risks of wearing a lap belt outweigh the risks of not wearing them. Then he goes on... > Many states now have seatbelt laws based partially on the NSTB's > earlier findings. In Oregon, wearing belts is manditory for >... Based on the NTSB's earlier findings? Surely you mean their findings on the risks of wearing the belts versus not wearing them. So who "don't know" what benefits? Actually, I heard the report simply showed some risks of lap belts, with no comparison between lap belt and no belt. (Think about it..there have been studies on belt vs no belt) > I opposed the Oregon law on Civil Rights grounds. Now, it > appears that I COULD have opposed a manditory seatbelt law for > SAFETY reasons. Ha. It is humorously bizarre idea. > I'm still waiting for a report detailing the risks to the neck, > clavicle, and chest when in an accident wearing the shoulder > strap. I'm sure you'll find them in some old "unbelted vs lap&shoulder belt" report. There were, um, a few made before Detroit finally decided belts might be worth putting in cars. The current argument is over whether people should be required to wear belts or should they pay for airbags? (Congress has already decided that if we don't wear belts then we'll get airbags) If you must fuss about belts, move to the endless discussion in net.auto. Frankly, Ron's article sounds like the recent ones claiming that helmets provide very little protection in a crash..the articles were squelched by inquiries on how well an unhelmeted head fared in a crash. -- Scot E. Wilcoxon Minn Ed Comp Corp {quest,dicome,meccts}!mecc!sewilco 45 03 N 93 08 W (612)481-3507 {{caip!meccts},ihnp4,philabs}!mecc!sewilco Laws are society's common sense, recorded for the stupid. The alert question everything anyway.