Does everyone have to wear a seat belt?

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Whilst there are specified exemptions to mandatory seat belt wearing, some people exhibit a cavalier attitude to either themselves or their children wearing them, or indeed using children's car seats.

A previous employer apparently never bothered putting his belt on, being a wealthy businessman, he was happy his adult family would be financially ok in the event of his death or serious injury.

A former neighbour drove his van with his 4 year old in the front passenger seat.
 
I decided to comment to the driver that the child should have her seat belt on. The driver turned to me and snarled that the child was profoundly disabled.

she was smoking in the car with all the windows closed when I spoke with her

how did this conversation take place with the windows closed?
 
Now Brendan do you really think that will achieve anything? I think the Gardai are busy enough?

Doing what you suggested in an earlier post of yours perhaps about cyclists?


Tips,
Don’t break red lights.
Don’t cut in front of Cars
Do NOT cycle on footpaths
Don’t cycle up a one way street
Don’t cycle in pairs
Stick to the rules of the road.
 
Doing what you suggested in an earlier post of yours perhaps about cyclists?


Tips,
Don’t break red lights.
Don’t cut in front of Cars
Do NOT cycle on footpaths
Don’t cycle up a one way street
Don’t cycle in pairs
Stick to the rules of the road.

That's funny. The inference is that gardai are to make time and deal with cyclists bad behaviour but not motorists who don't insist that their children wear seat belts.
Tips. Make sure you have your seat belt on and that of your children.
 
While we are looking back at previous posts, this is what the OP wrote only a short while back about someone making a complaint to the Guards about a motor incident

Why would you be feeling guilty in any way if you did nothing wrong? There are a lot of very deluded people out there who think that the world revolves around them. For someone to write to the local gardai about an incident like this suggests that they live in some sort of superior world to the rest of us.
 
The inference is that gardai are to make time and deal with cyclists bad behaviour.

never said that. you are trying to put words in my mouth. i am very clear what i am saying
 
While we are looking back at previous posts, this is what the OP wrote only a short while back about someone making a complaint to the Guards about a motor incident

Now you are the one putting words in my mouth. I never mentioned the Garda in my thread about seat belts. As you have already repeated, the title of my post was "Does everyone have to wear a seat belt".
 
Now Brendan do you really think that will achieve anything? I think the Gardai are busy enough?

Maybe the OP's actions in having a few words with the car driver might just sink in to her smoke induced brain behaviour and just maybe she might think about putting the seat belt on the child next time she gets in her car. I doubt it though.
She wouldn't give two fingers to a garda would she?
 
I think most people agree that the right thing to do is report these things to the Gardai.

So the next time you see people on their mobiles (I see about 3 a day) or not behaving in a polite manner please take their number plate and straight down to the station with you. Good luck with that. Let me know how you get on.

Like I said, I live in the real world.
 
I am not defending this persons action however if this mother is letting her child roam free in a car without a seatbelt and smoking with all the windows up in aggressive behaviour, then I suspect that this is the least of the child problems.
Its what’s going on behind closed doors that I would be concerned about and not alerting Gardai about the seat belt that possibly could not be proven and waste Gardai resources

Hmm - so now this is you making a negative judgement without even having witnessed the behaviour?

The question is "Does everyone have to wear a seatbelt?"
The answer is yes - with specific exceptions

Without any prejudice as to the other elements of the driver's reported behaviour a child roaming the back seat is objectively a risk and possibly/probably in breach of the law - informing the Gardaí when you see someone breaking the law is a civic duty, they can then decide the most appropriate action. That may be "no action" and it may be that no action is possible but that is immaterial.

On your other point about the what might be happening to the child "behind closed doors". That is nothing but wild and specious speculation on your part. The OP has not seen anything that would warrant reporting for neglect - such a slight basis to build a "concern" for a child on.
 
The answer to the question posed in the thread title is clearly "yes", with the exceptions provided.

Would I speak to the person concerned? Maybe if the opportunity presented itself.

Would I report the incident to the Guards? Certainly and I would make a statement and get a PULSE incident number.

These are the simple obligations of a citizen, the rest is up to the Guards, Social Protection, Child Services, etc.
 
Folks

I have deleted off topic posts.

If people consider another poster to be trolling, then don't reply to it. Ignore it or report it.

Brendan
 
In Stillorgan recently a motorist with a child in the back seat of the car decided to take the lane of traffic with the short queue and when she got to the top barged her way into the other lane, skipping all the other cars who had been queuing.
Can you imagine what might have happened if this woman had to brake suddenly. Seeing this type of behaviour, especially with a child not belted in would annoy and upset most people irrespective if she was skipping the short queue or not.
 
For the record,
Firstly I don’t smoke, I don’t use my mobile in the car and I and my children all wear seat belts.
Secondly I don’t approve or condone this ladies action if it is the case that the child had no seat belt.
We have a great police force but due to lack of money and a huge amount of staff retiring and not being replaced they are stretched. While this may be a major offence to some people, to the Gardai who are dealing with serious crime in this city, it is not.
We have the police force we can afford not the one we deserve.
That’s what I mean about the real world.
My opinion is feel free to report these type of things, mobile phones etc. and while it may give you some satisfaction, it will achieve nothing. Note: this is my opinion.
 
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