Ask A Trooper Anything

If you think about it, he is a part of trucking just like a trucker is.

But Lilbit is right, it is an open forum.

 

i am glad to have a few leo's here.kind of nice to get a different perspective on how they think.as far as why the seat belt law is law.answer is simple.insurance companies have big money and donate to campaigns.they wanted it they got it.

 

Perhaps, we are too stupid to protect ourselves. But, is our gov't really protecting us from death by auto crash? As you read this, keep in mind, I DO wear my safety belt at all times. I like my head to be round.
Doesn't our gov't, a gov't with it's nose in the wrong hole at any given time (i.e. this pointless war), have more important things to worry about? So, our young men, and women can be shipped to foreign countries to be shot up/blown up on a whim, by our gov't. Our taxes can be increased to a rediculous amount to fund such ignorance, along with the notion that, at will, our gov't can just print some new money to fund the rebuilding of same foreign country to which, let's face it, the whole world could do without. ad infinitum. ad nauseum.
Point being, the gov't had very little to do with the seatbelt laws. The insurance companies (didn't the seatbelt laws come in around the same time as the FRA laws?) dropped a collective wad of cash in the laps of legislators. You see, now that the gov't said, "All you idiots better have some liabilty insurance!" The insurance companies though to themselves, "Oh, no! You mean we're gonna have to fork over the dough every time someone dies? Well, then you should pass a law requiring seatbelt use to minimize the risk of death. Here's a wad of cash to get things moving. Let me know if you need any more?"
Our gov't.? Their smart enough to spend money, and enact legislature that, while well intentioned, generally, isn't very well thought out. And, I could cite a plethora of examples. But, the truth is I can't think of a counrty I'd rather live in. Maybe, the US got us in this mess. I Promise, the US will get us out.
Wear your seat belt, everyone. We might need you to go to Iraq, tomorrow.

 

I agree with you. Our gov't. could be doing alot more for the folks here. I remember as a kid standing next to my father on the bench seat in the pickup. I never wore a seatbelt until the mid 90's. When they passed the law I started wearing it. I'm glad I did, when I rolled a pickup on a rain slicked night it saved my butt. As a trooper, I have seen firsthand what seatbelts can do for accident victims. I'm sure your right about the insurance companies, and forking millions to legislators. You and me could never get a legislator to do anything we wanted, unless we had a large checkbook behind us.

 

Well chief. I've been around trucking my whole life. My father was a O/O and drove for 25 years and my uncle drove for 43 years, 15 of which were as O/O. I rode with both of them as I grew up. I still have a load of friends that are drivers as well. Both my father and uncle steered me away from following in their shoes. As for my law enforcement experience I have been assigned to a CMV Unit for the last nine years. I first heard of this forum from a driver friend of mine. He told me that he felt I could assist driver's in the regulation aspect that gets asked on this forum. I also am asked on a daily basis from driver's I contact about numerous regulations. There is so much mis-information that floats around. I spend literally half my shift speaking with guys and gals who heard this and that, and this and that is totally false. When the new hours of service came out, what a nightmare that was. The way I approach it is this, if I can put the information I know out there and help one driver, inform one more driver that I don't have to when I am working then it helps me alot. As I near retirement age, I want to get back into private industry, either working for a company in their safety dept. or possibly start driving. I have learned loads of information on this forum from drivers, from their perspective which I believe has assited me with doing my job. From the post that I have read and knowing both sides of the fence I believe there is different aspects that both us in law enforcement and trucking have of each other. I know not all truckers hate cops. I also know that cops don't hate truckers. Those blanket statements are plain ridiculous. I know when I worked the road as a regular trooper, I had a car stopped and was in a full blown fight with the eguy on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, when a trucker stopped and gave me a hand with this drunk who didn't want to go to jail. I seen alot of good driver's over the years, however I have seen some that should never be near a truck. No matter industry you are in, you have good and bad. Chief if you have a question or two, and that goes for anyone, I will shoot you a straight answer from my perspective in the enforcement world. As Big Don stated earlier, I don't make the rules, I just enforce them. Some I don't like, some I do. Such as life.

 

I believe most states had to pass some kind of seatbelt law or risk loosing a percentage of there federal highway road funds.

 

Seatbelts do save lives . Far too many people die when ejected . On the other hand far too many children were killed by Joan Claybrook's killer airbags . The solution ? NHTSA tells you not to use the front passenger seat then allows manufacturers to install a disabling switch .

 

That could be. The same reason they lowered the alcohol legal limit to .08 or risk millions in highway money from the feds. Same reason the lowered the speed limits in the late 70's-80's to 55 mph. Only within the last 15 years did they go back up.

 

Funny thing about Ky's seatbelt law, if you know what type of license plate to get you dont have to wear a seatbelt. Anyone can get the plate and no its not a handicap plate. I got'em on both my pickup's.

 

First I heard of anything like that. Let me guess is it a farm tag?