brewersrock well then don't speed see how simple that was..

I would like to see more grants for night time stops to get some of you drunk drivers and drug users off the streets . thats our greatest problem .

Even if the law IS changed (and I for one am all for it), no one is MAKING you wear the damn thing. If you CHOOSE to you can take the chance of getting a ticket...just like most of us take the chance of speeding. Same idea. Same result.

top cop you remind me of South Beloit/Rockton/and Roscoe Police Departments where all they do is sit in the squad car and write tickets for speeding and seat belt violations and eat . I wear my seat belt, but to force someone to wear them NO .

according to an article in the journal sentinel Doyles aids said the budget for this year would spend 58 BILLION dollars. so 15 million really isnt diddly

A free adult citizen of these United States should always be able to choose what risks he is willing to take in the conduct of his private life. Legislative and enforcement activity should have a much higher priority for more important matters such as theft and violent crime than messing with an individual's personal protection choices.

The fact that the fed has this money to spend in this way tells me they should have not taken it from us in the first place.

i agree. and lets be honest and realistic here. what is 15 million going to do to help our state? that is pennies really.

I know where they can stick there lousy 15 million and the feds should quit using bribery to change state laws.

I too know several people who were injured or killed because they were wearing their seatbelt. I also know ten or more who supposedly died because they didn't. I wear mine because I know it's safer. THAT DOESN'T MATTER.
Are they going to make it illegal to drive your classic car, because there are no airbags? Just do whatever the insurance companies want, so they don't have to make new policies, plans, and premiums? Sounds like a bunch of sheeple to me!!!
The government that is supposed TO SERVE ME, has always thought they knew what was best for me. These days our rights are falling away like sandstone.
wis1031 says: "Well i ware my seat belt and i don't hunt so i guess i"ll vote on the side to take your rights away." - Typical selfishness. You don't realize what your rights even are, so why would you miss them? Travel a little, see the things we take for granted, as people kill and fight and risk their lives for them. In Iraq I saw things every day that reminded me why our rights are so important...

sbm citizen, if you dont cause any accidents you dont have to worry about it. I dont want lung cancer from second hand smoke either but I still have to deal with it because smoking is not illegal.

First of all. is it only minorities who don't wear seatbelts?
Of course they're going to do it, look at all that money! Who cares if it takes away a person's right to decide what's best for them. The Federal Government knows what's best for you.
That's fine and dandy you are concerned about insurance, and taxpayer costs, but does that give you the right to DECIDE FOR ME? It is your own fault that your insurance provider is ripping you off in this way. Mine isn't. That's what you get when you buy the cheapest product in town...
Why not buckle up? If you appreciate a persons right to freedom, or want your grandchildren to be as free as we SHOULD be. If you have ever been to an accident scene where the vic was trapped in by their seat belt and burned alive. If you are a daredevil and like to take risks. If your car has no working seat belts. If it bothers your neck or line of sight, and you choose to throw the shoulder strap around your back. Maybe if you're obese...Or really skinny, short, tall, or old. Maybe your kids keep choking you with it. Maybe you have terminal cancer and, since assisted suicide is illegal, you wish to live every day like it's your last.
It doesn't matter the reason. You and the government have no right to decide for me!
But money talks...

CJ: Granted, some buses travel on the interstate, HOWEVER, that said, the largest % of buses & kids are in town, at an average speed of 2.5/hour. Yes, I work in the transit industry. Another comment was made that is also good--who is going to make sure they are buckeled in & STAY buckeled in? The driver is busy watching the road, he/she doesn't have time to listen for clicks!

I wear a seatbelt, but does anyone honestly think that our auto & health insurance costs are going to go down if this goes through. LOL, I seriously DOUBT it.

when your time is up, it's up...seat belt or not.

Is leon a minority ?

Mymaro, but it's not just the "indirect" insurance costs, think of the toll it has on the drivers of cars that are involved in accidents where someone died because they choose not to wear a seat belt. There is no legal protection for them - they could end up in jail for what otherwise might have been a traffic ticket but someone died so they are charged. Even without the threat of prosecution think of the emotional trauma of knowing that a death resulted from an accident you were involved in. Sometimes the greater needs of the public have to trump personal choice and freedom, that's just life. I certainly do not want the government to tell me how to live but in this case, I also do not want the burden of having caused a death so that someone else could excercise their free will to fly through the windshield in the event of an accident.

in light of the present situation with the economy i think 20 million could be better spent somewhere else,

billnewbie, good points.

for those whining that by some not wearing seat belts it makes their car insurance higher. TOUGH! I have NEVER smoked in my life but im not whining that smokers cause my health insurance to be higher.

Those that make the case that seat belts save lives and prevent injuries and ultimately save us all money have a strong point. However, wearing seat belts is not the only activity that government could dictate for our own good as well as the good of all. The same case can be made for the regulation of alcohol consumption, smoking, flying private aircraft, sky diving and motorcycle riding, to name a few. Even small cars are considerably more dangerous than larger ones. Do we really want the government in the business of dictating what risks we now decide for ourselves to take?
Originally, seat belt laws were established as a response to a threat from the federal government to withhold transportation funds from states that did not enact them. Our state obviously felt that this was an infringement on our rights so they made it as weak as they could with the stipulation that drivers would not be stopped solely due to seat belt law infractions and small fines.
I say tell the feds to keep their money. Leave things as they are. Unfortunately, with the state spending more than it’s collecting, our Governor will push for this law just for the money, which seems to be the overriding principle that guides him.

Don't worry about helmets on motorcycles, just seat belts. I wish the federal government would stay out our state's business.

i find some of these comments pretty amusing. There is a couple people who have basically said that if you wear a seatbelt in an accident you have better chance of controlling the vehicle. ok. they said if you get ejected because you werent wearing a seatbelt you may hurt others because you couldnt control the vehicle post accident. UMMMM............ if the wreck is bad enough that you are ejected I highly doubt that if you wore the seat belt youd be needing to control anything after that impact.

Ann Landers used to regularly run a letter (perhaps one of the holiday weekends like Memorial Day or July 4, which used to have tremendous highway death tolls) from a state trooper, who said "I've never unbuckled a dead man." There's really no question that seat belts, air bags, and other safety equipment save lives. So, wearing no seatbelt is stupid.
.
The question is, why do people take something stupid and make it a "freedom"?

seatbelts or not the minority will still be target

I also am short and some seatbelts aren't very comfortable. Try putting the seat back more upright as that seems to position it a little better. I have also found those fleece things that velcro around the shoulder belt make them more comfortable. I wouldn't be without my seatbelt as it makes me feel more secure in the seat. As for those of you who don't wear them, think of the EMT's and ER people who will have to look at you after you have been ejected or thrown thru the windshield.

How generous of the U.S. government to offer $15 million of our own money back to us if we allow law enforcement to pull us over easier !

Sarah, wouldn't it be possible for you to sit on a cushion or something that elevated you to a position where the seat belt fit comfortably? Just wondering.

I had lung surgery this summer and wearing the belt was painfull. So when the doctors finally gave me the ok to drive I placed a rolled up towel between the belt and my chest which seemed to pretty much take care of the problem. I'm not saying that would work for everyone nor that it would work when the problem was caused by heart surgery. But it worked for me.

Well said intrigued.

1. Those who believe that not wearing a seatbelt is only a risk to themselves do not understand how the world works. MY insurance (both automobile and health) go up to cover the costs of injuries sustained by others.

2. When I was younger I wouldn't wear a seatbelt. I figured that the worst thing that could happen to me in a car accident was that I would die. Then I started working with people who had head injuries and I realized that the worst thing that could happen to me is that I would get a head injury and survive. These people frequently have to live on disability for the rest of their lives paid for with the tax dollars of you and me. I was only 25 but I began buckling up and still do today.

3. The argument between motorcycle helmets and no motorcycle helmets is pointless. Neither one is safe.

I remember a teacher telling us when I was in jr. high that our personal freedoms extended to just about the tip of our noses. Within that space we were free to do whatever we wanted. Beyond that, our impact on the rest of the world was important to consider. I don't know where this *%!?#^ idea of I can do whatever I want because this is the US and I don't have to EVER consider how my actions impact others came from but it is pathetic.

This was a while ago but mother-in-law had open heart surgery. When she went home from hospital she could not wear sholder strap from seat belt because it went acroos the insiscion and it hurt when she put it on. How could a police officer tell if u r not wearing a seat belt.

Unhappytenant - but what do you have signed that says I am not responsible for any injuries caused by your ejection from a vehicle??? This is not just about the person making the choice not wear a seat belt, other drivers and society in general have a liability here as well.

Funny how everyone here thinks seatbelts are meant strictly to protect the driver. They do in fact protect the driver, but moreso protect others who may be near the vechile during a crash.

Seatbelts are meant to restrain the driver, and make it easier to regain control after a crash.

On a motorcyle, a motorcycle falls to the ground and will not travel on, if you are ejected from a moving car, the car remains in motion.

Seatbelts are not intended just for the driver, but whomever may be near the vechicle.

I have no children & have a Living Will stating if I am in a persistant vegetative state that I want all efforts terminated. So despite what people think, I have thought about this & am not being selfish. I choose not to wear a seatbelt. Just like some people choose to wear one. It should be up to the person.

I am also a registered nurse who chooses to NOT wear a seat belt. The reason? I am short and the darn thing doesn't fit me right ... if I'd had it on last January when I was involved in that 98-vehicle crash on I-90, I would bet I would have been decapitated or paralyzed from neck injuries. (I was at a standstill when rear-ended by a heavy truck traveling 50 mph. My car was totaled and I had to be cut out of the thing, but I am alive and darn glad I kept the belt off that day.) Design a better system and I will wear it ... until then, forget it.

If you think there shouldn't be a seat belt law then would you also agree to a change in laws so that if I hit your car and you fly out the windshield and die because you CHOOSE not to wear a seat belt that your family CANNOT sue me for compensation? And in the event that you live I will not be responsible for your pain, suffering or medical bills beyond what would have happened had you wore a seat belt. Unless you are ready to take the full responsiblity for that choice there needs to be laws protecting all drivers - not just the ones that decide not use all available safety precautions.

ha just great, you already know how janesville police are with minorities things are just gonna get worse but wear those seatbelts

Lets make one thing clear. Not only does seat belts keep you from going into the steering wheel and into the windshield but it does one more thing. When you loose control, you will be tossed around. With the belt in it's proper place, it is much easier to hold the steering wheel to steer. It is impossible to steer when you are in the passenger seat or the back seat. If you don't want to wear the belt for yourself, wear it for the other cars and for your family.
Your children must be proud of you, knowing you are breaking the law. As far as the $10.00 fine, that should be at least $150.00.

Its hard to compare a motor cycle and no helmet to not wearing a seat belt. If you have a helmet on or not, you will be broken up. Lets face it, seat belts SAVE lives.

People, let's look at the odds for a second. I find the excuse that people have died wearing them, etc a pretty lame example. Your odds of surviving far out weigh the odds of you not wearing one. How many times have you heard the person was ejected from the vehicle? Like anything, there's a risk either way. I'll take my chances on wearing it and the better odds of surviving.

Brewers, What about the busses that take kids on field trips on the interstate or highway. Have you seen they way that some bus drivers drive. I have lived here and in Milwaukee some of them are pretty bad.

I'm a registered nurse & choose NOT to wear my seatbelt. I've seen the consequences of not wearing one, but also the injuries sustained FROM wearing one. I believe it should be a choice.

If minorities are concerned, wear there seat belts and it would not be an issue.
However,I.M.O. pulling some one over for a violation as small as a seat belt ticket is a waste of time and money. I'm sure there is priorities above seat belt violations our L.E.O.'s can be involved with.

What does seatbelts & manorities have to do with each other?? Are they saying that some races don't wear seatbelts?? Just a GOOFY statement,I think!!!

I should fell sorry for all you people who think there rights are being taken away from them, I should but i don't. Its not like they are taking your right to drink or have guns for hunting and protection or stopping you from smoking in a restaurant or a public place. Oh wait they did do that and that was ok right? Well i ware my seat belt and i don't hunt so i guess i"ll vote on the side to take your rights away.

I completely agree with this incentive!! Seatbelts save lives and it is the law to wear one...pull people over for not wearing them and you will save even more lives!!

If it's a law to wear one, the police should be able to stop you if you're not. Why does it have to be so difficult.

People-seat belts on buses seems to make sense but who's going to buckle all the kids or make sure they are? What if an emergency occurs? Who is going to make sure they all get unbuckled & out?

Reminds me of the first time I was pulled over as a teenager. I was given a warning for going too fast in between zones but my dad was ticketed for not wearing a seatbelt! Ha!

And how does race become an issue with seat belts? If this law passes and a minority doesn't have a belt on shouldn't they be a target?

CJ: Buses are safer than cars...they are MUCH larger, slower moving, and higher off the road, so if they are in an accident, damage is minimal.

SuperDave: How are the insurance companies going to know if you wear a seatbelt? Ask? And everyone is going to be HONEST? Come on! I don't think the insurance companies are that stupid (and I don't think very highly of insurance companies)

My thought is the law in WI should be changed, and police can stop motorists for not wearing a seatbelt...just like they stop people for speeding in Janesville, or running yellow/red lights!

ive lost two friends BECAUSE they had their seat belt on. It can go both ways, dont knock people if they dont wear one. If you wear one more power to you.

Primary enforcement of the seat belt laws in Wisconsin is only a matter of time so I think we should take the $15-20 million and do it now. It's going to happen eventually and with budget problems the state is having the $15-20 million will help.

It costs everyone in the long run for not wearing one. That is a fact. Not that hard to buckle up. With regards to the motorcycle helmets, a lot more people are killed in cars than on motorcycles because more people drive cars. Until that changes, that's the way it is.

When is someone goning to make it mandtory that ALL school busses have seatbelts??? Do that first before you take one more dollar from the Feds.

Even though I wear a seat belt always, it should not be a law.

The solution to the insurance premium problem is to let insurance companies treat those who wear seatbelts and those who do not differently. For example, if you get into an accident and are not wearing a seatbelt, your coverage is reduced by the amount you would have paid as an unbelted driver. There are free market solutions to most of these problems.

Way to go ljs64. Safety is not on their minds. The people who follow the rules, care for life, theirs and others, are just stupid. Insurance companies should have a statement in the policy that if you fail to comply with the safety laws, payout for injuries sustained in an accident will be reduced by 30 to 50%. Why should they and the other policy holders have to pay for someones else's failure to follow the rules. Safety is everyones responsibility. If you don't take precautions then others should not have to pay for your injuries or death with increased premiums. You made the choice then you should pay the price.

How hard is it to buckle up? Once it is buckled you hardly know it is there. To make a choice not to wear it is plain dumb! For those of you who feel the need to make everyones insurnace rates high, give me a solid reason why not to wear a seat belt??? You won't come up with one!

I agree it is a personal choice. HOWEVER, everytime you fools that do not wear a seatbelt get in an accident, we ALL pay. From increased insurance rates, to the fire, ems and hospital bills. AND, what about your kids? They may be to young to understand the reprocussions of not wearing a seatbelt. I would think that most parents would protect their children. BUT, some just don't care. My personal feeling....the ticket is nowhere near enough.

I, too, do not understand why it's illegal to drive without a seatbelt but riding a motorcycle with no helmet is ok. I should be able to decide whether or not I use my seatbelt. The only person I'm putting at risk is myself. I'd rather see the feds put that money towards getting our ridiculous drunk driving laws changed. I keep hearing things in regards to the insurance industry that insurance companies are paying out a lot of money to cover medical costs relating to injuries that people receive when not wearing seatbelts. How much are insurance companies paying out for injuries caused by not wearing helmets? Oh wait, most of those people die right away anyway. There are no costs to submit to insurance. Until the insurance companies start complaining more loudly about the lack of a helmet law in WI because it's costing them too much money, there won't be any changes.

Sure, all the dumb people that do not wear their seat belt indirectly cause my auto insurance premiums to go up because of the medical costs incurred when they get into an accident. All you clowns and your personal choice. Your choice affects all of us one way or another.

This just shows you how are money is being wasted. If dumb people don't want to wear their seatbelt its their problem don't waste more money esp. $15M I think their is better ways for the money to be spent!

But yet motorcyclist that have next to nothing for protection around them are NOT required to wear helmets. But then the federal government wants us to wear seat belts. Does any of this make sense? Or is it just me?

I can't believe this is a law in the first place... It should be one's choice whether they want to wear a seatbelt. Luckly the fine is only $10 in Janesville, but I still think this is just not right.