The Seat Belt Law, Too, Aims to Save Lives

Dear Traffic Talk:

I understand why drinking and driving is illegal: A drunk driver could harm and even kill an innocent person.

I understand why driving fast is illegal: If a speeder’s car goes out of control it could also harm innocent people.

But can anybody answer this question? What is the reasoning behind the “buckle-up law?” I recently got a ticket for not wearing mine.

There were no kids or other people in my car. The only person that could have been hurt as a result of an accident would have been me.

I’ll keep an open mind, but I sense this law is strictly a fund-raising mechanism for the state.

Charles Lowe

Sun Valley

Dear Charles:

The seat belt and the motorcycle-helmet law--which some movements have tried but failed to repeal--are laws that people frequently complain about because they believe the government should not legislate personal choice, according to Ernie Garcia, a spokesman for the California Highway Patrol.

But the interest of the government in enacting such laws is to protect human life, said Mike Qualls, a spokesman for the Los Angeles city attorney’s office.

This is why the state requires that everyone riding in a vehicle--including a lone driver--buckle up. Otherwise they run the risk of a $20 citation for the first offense.

Studies before and after the law passed have shown with overwhelming evidence that a seat belt can help in saving a person’s life by restricting an individual’s movement during a violent crash.

They have shown that even during a relatively slow-speed collision, a person without a seat belt can bounce around within the vehicle, exposing that person to severe injuries such as broken bones and head trauma.

Some people complain about the government protecting them against their will, Qualls said.

But even if citizens don’t want to be protected, “we’re going to save you,” he said.

Dear Traffic Talk:

The traffic lanes at the bottom of the westbound offramp of the Ventura freeway at Woodlake Avenue were altered more than a year ago to accommodate increased traffic when the Mulholland Drive/Valley Circle overpass was under construction.

That overpass is now complete and the traffic at the Woodlake offramp is back to normal except for one thing:

Both lanes at the Woodlake Avenue/Ventura Boulevard intersection can make left turns. This means that the right lane is blocked whenever a car selects the right lane to make a left turn.

This right lane should be reserved for right turns only and the left lane should be marked for left or straight ahead.

As it stands, one left-turning car can block five or six or more right-turning cars from completing their right turns from the right lane.

Can these offramp lanes be retuned to the previous left and right markings?

Roy Bell

Calabasas

Dear Roy:

Caltrans does not know exactly when, but the ramp on Woodlake will return to the ideal and original conditions you describe, said Pat Reid, a spokeswoman for the agency.

The change will occur once the $15-million interchange project is done, Reid said.

Traffic Talk appears Fridays in The Times Valley Edition. Readers may submit comments and questions about traffic in the Valley to Traffic Talk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311. Include your name, address and phone number.