College age "kids"---Why do so many of you not wear seatbelts?

I am a college student. I always wear my seatbelt, however that is because I am a huge child passenger safety advocate and safety advocate in general. I don't care much for adults and their choices, however I do care a lot about the (uninformed) choices parents make for their children.

I know the information and the misconceptions out there. For example, the other responder said that he/she only wears their seat belt while on the highway, however statistics have shown that 99% of accidents happen with speeds less than 30 mph or less. He/she would be better off without a seatbelt on the highway and instead wear a seatbelt on roads with lower speed limits. A lot of people believe that a 30 mph crash seems to be very "slow" however a person would be severely sore if not injured if you were to get in one. Crashes above 40 mph are basically unsurvivable (depending on other variables too). The forces are just too high, even with a seatbelt, because the organs would smash into the person's ribcage. I also believe that people believe that they are invincible when they wear their seatbelt.

I have a friend who nevers wears her seatbelt while in the backseat and sometimes in the front. This is because when she was a child (she was born in Greece) her family's vehicle didn't even have seatbelts. She was never restrained in a car seat. I believe that a parent has a great influence on their children. If parents buckle up, then that same attitude will stick with the child. Even if my parents were not great on the safety in cars for us children- they did try their best from the information they did have in the day. One time I took off my seatbelt and my father showed me how seatbelts work to protect passengers- about how if you stop quickly, the shoulder belt will lock and keep you in the car. I also believe that being blunt on a serious subject is alright for even young children.

I know this is kind of off topic, however watch this video: http://www.boosttil8.org/ Look at this mom from this video whose 8 year old child was in improperly restrainted in the car. The boy, Kyle, was paralyzed in a car crash because his seatbelt was improperly positioned on his body. Look at the mother's face as she says, "It's something you never want to see. Of course, it's something that you don't ever expect. Everybody always thinks that it is gonna happen to somebody else. And the laws and the seat belt and booster seats and car seat regulations and all that doesn't pertain to them because it's not going to happen to them."

Also, a lot of my peers don't look when they cross the street! I just cannot believe somebody wouldn't look before they cross; I asked a few people and they said, "Oh, pedestrians have the right-of-way" I just cannot believed they would say that! Eeek!

Well, I guess it is good in a way. It is called natural selection- people with unfavorable genes wil be unable to reproduce. I have always been skeptical if this same law applies to humans, especially when the government passes safety laws and more of these stupid idiots roam the world. I am not here to debate whether it is "right" or "wrong" for the government to make safety laws because even I don't know if it is correct or not... All I know is that nothing in life is black and white. It is all in the gray.

Edit: At my school, we did a really small random informal sample study. Some students on a "random" day out of the year and looked at who left the school parking and who were wearing their seat belts. (I wrote this in my notebook and when they announced this. The results are suprising!) Out of 238 students who left the lot, 219 were wearing seatbelts. Out of the 21 adults (faculty) who left the lot, only 15 were wearing seatbelts. So, it just isn't college age "kids"- seasoned adults do so too.

15/21 is only 71% of seatbelt use

while 219/ 238 is 92% seatbelt use

i've got worn my seatbelt long earlier each and every physique seen turning out to be it a regulation, even in my own driveway. I basically experience bare without it. And if somebody else is in my automobile, it does not initiate shifting till he/she places it on too. yet i've got self assurance seatbelt use is a private accountability, and it somewhat is form of stupid for the government to be performing like the form of nanny state by using punishing human beings basically for no longer looking after their own protection. If somebody desires to be stupid, that must be his own corporation. I say enable the insurance companies cope with it. If somebody gets into an twist of destiny and gets harm by fact his seatbelt wasn't worn, they should basically jack up his insurance quotes for a quantity of time. the form of rule would assure compliance because it might hit human beings squarely interior the wallet for no longer wearing their seatbelts, yet shield man or woman selection and shop massive Brother out of our lives.

The same reason that teenagers smoke cigarettes and use drugs. They think they are immortal, and that all the warnings on the labels and things that "old people" tell them just don't apply to them. They are going to live forever!

Unfortunately for some... By the time they realize and understand, it's too late.

I feel to comfortable in the car and with the person driving. I dont forsee the possiblility of anything going wrong so I tend to forget about it and tend not to wear it. Only when I'm on the highway traveling a long distance of an hour or more do I wear one.