When I started reading this thread, I was goin g to try to be funny and ask how you all felt about riding with or against traffic while on your bicycles..But sorry to read about your son BRB.
But a few of these posts bring to mind another thing that has puzzled me over the years.
Mandatory seatbelts laws.
I'll admit...More times than not, you're safer wearing them, and I'm glad my Son puts his on automatically (and sometimes bugs me to put mine on)....But most of my personal experience has been the opposite.
My oldest brother was a big stickler about wearing them...and even though he loved to skydive, he was sort of a safety nazi...He was killed wearing a seat belt after my first week at DONU...The belt crushed his Trachea.
The next Summer, My girlfriend was driving my car to our favourite makeout spot on a gravel road...(Deep gravel on the sides of the road)..We were fishtailing and covering both sides of the road just because I told her I didn't think she could "pop a wheelie on a gravel road"...When the adrenaline hit, it seemed like time went in slow motion...I had all the time in the world to decide whether to grab the wheel, or to grab her...As I started to grab her, we seemed to go back to "real time" and the roof caved in and crushed her seat..(we fliped on the shoulder of the road landing on the driver's side roof and rolled over to throw me through the passenger side door)...I'd hate to think what would have happened to us if either of us had been wearing a seat belt.
I don't recommend not wearing seat belts, but I also don't think it should be a law to do so...Your odds of survival are better if you do wear them, but in some ways, it would be similar to you going to Vegas, and not being allowed to bet on the longshot "for your own good".