Here is the deal...As I was stop at a red light a cop pulls up next to me and admires my Black GT Conv. only to stop me as soon as the light turned green... Why I asked him he told me because i was not wearing my seatbelt? I told him i was and as he look in my car he saw that i was...He then went on to say that ford has put the seatbelts to low and they cant tell if you are or not wearing it...For those of you with Conv. you know that at times you have to reach to the back of your trunk to get the SEATBELT...So has anyone else had this problem or am I that lucky :angry:

 

By the way i got a ticket for not having my drivers license with me

 

I thought in most states, that the seatbelt law was a secondary offense. Meaning that you can't be pulled over for it. If that's the case in your state, then the license charge will be thrown out.

 

Thats what I thought too. Check on it and get the ticket dropped.

 

Cops out here in the West wouldn't waste their time with such crap. He was being a hineyhole, no 2 ways about it. I mean how could he not see that you had a belt on, it was over your shoulder right?

 

In Virginia, it used to be a secondary offense. Now they can pull you over for it. That law changed a couple years ago.

 

I know thats not the case in MD. The frickin cops hide under bridges on a nice days, stand outside of their car, and just wave people to the side if they don't have their belt on. That's ridiculous if you ask me. If I want to take the chance I should be able to drive around without my seatbelt on. Of course I always wear mine, I feel naked without it.

And it's not just the verts, everyone who sits in my car complains about having to reach into the back seat to get the seatbelt.

 

it is a secondary offense. Here in NJ it is, I'm going to the police academy in a few months and it states in the law books that the driver must have commited another motor vehicle violation (speeding, failure to stop, etc.) in order to receive a ticket for failure to wear a seatbelt. Same thing with the cell phone law here, which I think is rediculous, you have to commit another violation to get nailed with a ticket for driving while using a cellular device. I've had my share of ripping people's heads off while driving while on the cell phone for driving too slow, cutting people off, and almost hitting me, either on the highways or in parking lots, parking lots mainly! :cop:

 

Here in Ohio they changed the law. They call it "Click It Or Ticket." I know of a couple of people who have gotten tickets for no seatbelts. I always wear mine, even though the one in the Mustang bothers my neck.

 

In KS, it is secondary, which I still think is too much. Just another example of the government, be it state or federal, telling us what is best for us. Apparently, I really need big brother government holding my hand as I go through life. At any rate, how tall are you. I am 6'0", and you can easily see the belt over my shoulder. Personally, I think he lied about not being able to see your belt as a probable cause to pull you over and try to find something else. I mean, if you are going to pay it anyway, I would go to the court date and tell the judge that upon being stopped, the officer clearly saw that you were wearing your belt, that it had to be obvious from the exterior of the car that youwere wearing the belt, and as a result there was a lack of probable cause for the traffic stop. It then would follow that the ticket should be thrown out. The whole "fruit of the poisonous tree" doctrine.

 

==you know that at times you have to reach to the back of your trunk to get the SEATBELT==

==And it's not just the verts, everyone who sits in my car complains about having to reach into the back seat to get the seatbelt. ==

You guys know what that little magnetic strap down low on your seat is for, right? Run your seatbelt through that and you don't have to reach to China for it when you get in your car. I questioned how effective that little magnet would be at holding it, but I've been using it for weeks now and it works quite well.

 

In NY it is "click it or ticket" and the cops do look for this all the time along with using a hand held cell phone.
I have not had a problem with the seat belt, in fact I have been through three different road check points and all the cops do is say how cool the car is.

 

It may seem ridiculous to you that the cops can be so strict about seatbelt laws, however it's the law, and cops are there to enforce the laws, whatever they are, even if they don't agree. So save your frustrations for the folks that make the laws, not those who are out there risking life and limb to enforce them.

 

No kidding the town and state cops sit on Rt. 30 in Hampstead on nice weekends just looking into peoples cars and pulling them over. I'm sure they have something better to do. I have a lot of police friends and I know its not what they want to be doing. Its all about the $ for state and local gov.

Of course I always buckel up! Click it or ticket baby!

 

It has been a secondary offense for years in Washington State. A few years back Washington joined the "click it or ticket" brigade.

The best part? The only purpose for the $250,000 electronic reader-boards on our highways is to flash "Click it or ticket" during holiday weekends. I've never seem them used outside of that.

 

Exactly! If you don't like the seatbelt law (or any other law for that matter) in your city, county, or state, do something to change it! The cops are only allowed to enforce laws created by the citizens - they don't make any up. And the seatbelt law is a primary cause for enforcement in Oklahoma; changed about 3 years ago from when it was a secondary cause.

 

I agree completely. A few years back in Kentucky, the legislature was considering changing from secondary to primary. There was such an uproar and threats that any rep that voted for it would be booted out of office during the next election, that it failed miserably. The reps would not touch it with a ten-foot pole. I think that is great. For once, our elected representatives didn't think they knew what was better for each individual than the individuals themselves. Won't find that much in government.

 

florida is Click It Or Ticket

 

In Texas it is "click it or Ticket" and this week it is a hard push on that! My daughter was stopped for "not" wearing a seatbelt once this week already and she had it on! She drives '05 vert

 

Well, it's obvious that the seatbelts have a rather low profile. As long as you actually are wearing them, then you have nothing to worry about if you get stopped. I must say one good thing about the "Click It or Ticket" campaigns, which we also have in AL, is that you would be amazed at the number of children that are improperly restrained! When it comes to children these laws are very important as they can't make the choice for themselves. There are a lot of people out there that don't follow the laws when it comes to their kids in cars. When you right them a ticket for that, they want to complain that they can't afford the proper seats, etc... There are programs out there that can help people. Nothing is more important that your child's safety!