{"id":42252,"date":"2015-07-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-07-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/42252\/lebanons-seatbelt-law-and-the-results-are-in"},"modified":"2023-08-30T06:47:23","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T06:47:23","slug":"lebanons-seatbelt-law-and-the-results-are-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beirut.com\/en\/42252\/lebanons-seatbelt-law-and-the-results-are-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon’s Seatbelt Law… And The Results Are In."},"content":{"rendered":"When I first received a text message notifying me back in March that new traffic laws<\/a> would be instituted the next day, the taxi driver I was riding with at the time said, \u201cYou better fasten that seatbelt up tomorrow; else you\u2019ll face a 200,000 LL fine.\u201d

I chuckled, “Sure. And they\u2019ll enforce this as well as they enforced the smoking ban, right?” [Granted, the smoking ban was enforced more than I thought it would be.]

I was wrong. Wave a large fee in front of the faces of Lebanese taxi drivers and passengers alike, and we will be quick to enforce anything that could include a large penalty on our tiny wallets!



Quite ironically, the same chauffeurs who complain about Beirut\u2019s unbearable traffic due to disorder and chaos also tend to complain about their chest pains from the seatbelt\u2019s tight grip across their chest and ribs. We learn to complain about chaotic situations, because as we\u2019ve all learned, chaos remains just so. But finally institute a law that attempts to bring in some sort of order \u2013 at least to our traffic woes? All of a sudden we are a couple of unhappy campers strapped down tightly in a rusty taxi. And this, on a pathetic, hot, and humid summer\u2019s day.

I take a taxi at least twice a day from home to work. It\u2019s been quite the trip to mentally document how these chauffeurs approach the subject to front-seat passengers, and how well (or not) passengers are convinced to obey the law.

From what I’ve observed, the request to buckle up comes in stages:<\/big>

1. Approach the passenger passively\u2014and kindly. Most will abide. <\/big><\/big><\/b>
\u201cOh! Is that black strap belonging to your bag?\u201d I smile. \u201cIt looks just like the seatbelt! Can you do me a favor and please buckle up? It\u2019s up to you completely! But I\u2019d rather save you that 200,000 LL fee.\u201d He smiles. <\/big>

2. Approach the passenger by lying. It\u2019s the only way you\u2019ll get them to succumb. <\/big><\/big><\/b>
Most will still abide\u2014though reluctantly. \u201cThere was a checkpoint just down the road earlier today! You better buckle up. You don\u2019t want us to be stopped and fined for not buckling up, do you?\u201d This type of approach will elicit a negative response, followed directly by an opportunity to complain about wasta<\/i>, the country\u2019s corruption, and question the entire purpose of such a large fee for something so pointless. <\/big>

3. If the passive approach doesn\u2019t work, then this warrants some harsher passive-aggressive treatment.<\/big><\/big><\/b>
\u201cYou know, it\u2019s completely up to you, but that 200,000 LL fine will be on you and not me!\u201d<\/big>

4. And couple that threat with a real-life scenario.<\/big><\/big><\/b>
\u201cYou know, just the other day, I was sitting on a bench in Sassine Square. In that given hour, I saw the traffic police pull over at least eight to ten cars for its driver and passenger not wearing the required seatbelt! They are really enforcing this, so you better buckle up! I don\u2019t want to have to pay a fee for this, do you?\u201d

I had been completely astonished at the enforcement of the law\u2014not from any given traffic officer \u2014but from the taxi drivers themselves. Then came my turn to complain.

\u201cHey you in the back! Buckle up, girl!\u201d<\/i>
[Huh? Me?]

I respond: \u201cDo I need to? I don\u2019t even buckle up as a back-seat passenger in the United States! What makes you think I need to here?\u201d

I was astounded by my own response. Here I was chuckling at the complaints from front-seat passengers. And somehow I found myself, Ms. I\u2019m-from-America, questioning why I must do the same.

Granted, as time passes by, I\u2019ve noticed fewer complaints and much more compliant front-seat passengers. I guess all we really needed was just some time \u2013 and that strict discipline in the form of a 200,000 LL penalty.

The new transportation rules might be a start to something larger. But do you think any one of our adored politicians would be caught with this 200,000 LL fine?

Corruption. Now how can we tackle that? <\/big>

[Images via here<\/a> and here<\/a>.]
\"\"<\/figure><\/figure> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I first received a text message notifying me back in March that new traffic laws would be instituted the next day, the taxi driver I was riding with at the time said, \u201cYou better fasten that seatbelt up tomorrow; else you\u2019ll face a 200,000 LL fine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":416743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_preview_accessed":0,"footnotes":""},"tags":[],"media-embed-type":[],"class_list":["post-42252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"authorship":[45],"yoast_head":"\nLebanon's Seatbelt Law... 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