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The Pendulum
Editorials
Thursday. April 3, 1985
Safety belts
Should they be required?
By Loukia Louka
Consider this; everytime you ride in a car, you will have to wear
a seat belt or face a penalty. A mandatory seat-belt law? North
Carolina is one of 40 states that may make buckling up mandatory
in the near fiiture. Six states have already adopted the requirement.
Why adopt such a law? Because studies of 36 countries and areas
which do have seat belt laws show a great reduction in highway deaths
and injuries. In this state alone, officials say that 70 percent of the
people who die in highway accidents would have survived if they had
been wearing safety belts. Overall, in the United States, there are
over 400,000 moderate-to-serious injuries and 2.8 million minor in
juries caused in automobile accidents.
All of these figures concerning the effectiveness of seat belts and
their life-saving purpose is not without its conflicts. Many civil-
libertarians are insulted by the idea of “forcing” someone to wear
a safety belt. Does it infringe on personal liberty? On people’s con
stitutional rights? Should individuals have to accept reasonable restric
tions on their freedom for the common good?
Supporters of state laws that require motorists to wear seat belts,
believe that the issues of reduced highway deaths and injuries and
dollars saved are more important than worrying about individual
rights. Opponents of mandatory-seat-belt laws believe that such laws
intrude into the private scope of drivers—that the government has
neither the right nor the responsibility to decide the proper conduct
to citizens in their best interest.
Should people be able to decide for themselves? Hardly. If the issue
of mandatory seat-belt laws was an isolated issue, an issue of “private
domain,” I would probably object regardless of how enhancing it was.
Driving, however, is not a private issue. It is, in fact, very public.
Automobile accidents almost always involve others. It is a social pro
blem that disrupts lives and families.
Is there a difference between stopping at stop signs, or at red lights?
Is it one thiong to make motorists stop at a red light or impose speed
limits and making drivers wear seat belts? New York State
Assemblyman Michael Nozzolio (New York is the first state to pass
a mandatory-seat-belt law) opposes the law.
“Such laws will be extremely difficult to enforce,” says Nozzolio.
“You’re going to see a lot of court I'tigation on whether or not a
driver can be held guilty of negligence if the passengers in his car
failed to buckle up and an accident occurred. Nozzolio generally
prefers voluntary measures such as public-service announcements and
driver-education courses to create a pro-seat-belt generation.
There exist many views to the issue: educate drivers, pass a-
mandatory-seat-belt-law, don’t infringe on personal freedom, there
is no such thing as personal in flriving, and an endless list of inan
and outs. Should motorists wear seat belts or should education in
stead of compliance be brought on?
Michigan State Representative David Hollister says, “Voluntary
compliance has never worked. In this country, its only about 12 per
cent. In those countries that have passed mandatory laws, compliance
has gone from 11 percent to 70 percent.” It may be what U.S. citizens
need to realize how much is at stake on our highways everyday.
PEANUTS® bv Charles M. Schulz
ilii/
Letter to the Editor
Vandalism hurts college image
You'Re ON
A PIET?
An open letter to the campus
vandals:
I’m sure that you think that the
actions we have seen on the Elon
campus this year are fiinny. The
ripping up of trees, the damage
to classrooms, offices, stairwells
and fountain, the poisoning of an
aquarium set up and maintained
by students—all are symtomatic
of a meaness not characteristic of
the majority of Elon’s student
body.
Each act of vandalism reduces
the amount of funds available for
teaching supplies, and equipment
used to assist students in the lear
ning process. Each act of van-
LET'S LOOK IT UP
IN MS^PIET BOOK..,
WELL, I
\ VPON'TKNOU
dalism tears down the reputation
of those who would uphold the
ideals of Elon and seek to have a
school which has a reputation for
something higher than drugs,
alcohol and vandalism.
Perhaps you think that by
destroying the campus and its
buildings, you can get back at
those against whom you have a
grudge. You can’t! The only
result of this vandalism is to
reduce yourself to something
lower than a worm. A person is
known by whom he is and what
he does. The vandals on this cam-
MOW MANY CALORIES
IN 0NE6REAP CRUMB?
pus will sooner or later show their
true colors, and they will not be
maroon and gold.
Herbert W. House
Associate professor of biology
The Pendulum Staff
Editor
Associate Editor
Student Affairs Editor
Features Editor
Arts Editor
Emphasis Editor
Sports Editor
Head Photographer
Photographers
Ad Manager
Copy Editor
Advisor
Loukia Louka
Penny Thomas
Vicky Jiggetts
Maureen Sweeney
Patricia Aycock
Kami Brooks
Brian E. Batchelor
Jamie Cobb
Steve Pearce
Stuart White
Joe Coco
Ann Cralidis
Mouche Maggio
Jane Kidwell
Bob Nowell
The Pendulum welcomes letters,
limited to 250 words, from our
readers. Longer materials may be
submitted as opinion articles. All let
ters submitted must be signed, and
a phone number given so that the
letters validity can be checked. The
editor reserves the right to edit for
length, libel, good taste and ac
curacy. The deadline for submitting
materials is 2 p.m. Friday. Our of
fice is located on 102 Williamson
Avenue, phone 584-2331 or
584-2476,