%&#^@ Commercial Pissing Me Off!

There's this commercial that's been playing on Air America for about a week. The gist of what it says is

'You've heard that you should buckle your seatbelt. It's safer blah, blah, blah... Well, here's a real reason. Cops are going to give you a ticket if they catch you unbuckled as part of their "Click it or Ticket" program. So consider this a warning...because the cops won't give you one.'

This has been pissing me off since I first heard it. I mean the arrogance! What right does the government have to tell you to buckle up? Yes, it is safer, yes you should (and I can't believe the commercial so dismissively says, 'blah, blah, blah'), but those are reasons why you and I should try to convince those we care about to buckle up, not a rationale for government interference.

But speaking of trying to convince others...

When I was little, my mom worked 1 to 3 days a week (it changed over time). When she worked late, Grandpa F. would come over to watch my little brother and me. He would pick us up from school, drive us to Hebrew school or lessons, or take us home and just spend time with us.

One thing I noticed was that he would frequently forget to buckle up. When I reminded him, he would buckle, but he would excuse himself by saying that when he started driving, they didn't even have seatbelts and it was hard to teach an old dog new tricks. I would counter with things like 'it's safer' and 'it's important' (not profound, but what do you want from me? I was in elementary or middle school).

Eventually, he started buckling up without being reminded and I felt good about that.

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So, why am I writing about this today? What prompted me to finally write a post about something that's been bugging me for a while?

Well, I heard the commercial again today after not hearing it for a day and a half.

And last night, Grandpa F. was in a car accident.

He was getting on the Henry Hudson Parkway (if you live in New York, you may know that that is a dangerous highway: high speeds and no acceleration lanes) when he was cut off and forced to stop short. The car behind him didn't stop in time and there was a crash.

His car was totalled.

He is okay.

Minor bruising only, and most of that is around where his seatbelt tightened up in the crash. But, as was pointed out, if he hadn't had that seatbelt he could have gone through the windshield. If he hadn't been wearing the seatbelt, he probably would have broken his wrists where he was gripping the steering wheel. If he hadn't been wearing the belt...it would have been much worse.

So, when I heard that %&#^@ commercial again today, I was supremely pissed off.

I hate that they are so dismissive about the real issue with not wearing your seatbelt (safety anyone?). I hate that the government acts as though adult citizens need to be told what to do like children. I hate that the state seems to see this as a moneymaking opportunity (what would you call no warnings and expensive tickets for this 'offense'?). I hate the idea of Big Brother deciding what is good and what is bad and using the law to enforce it.

Bottom Line?

I want the people I care about to wear seatbelts.

I don't want the nanny state looking over my shoulder to make sure I comply.