To the editor:

In a recent Journal-World I read that the U.S. will soon require new vehicles “to sound alarms if rear passengers don’t fasten seat belts” and to lengthen “the duration of audio and visual warnings for the driver’s seat.”

Oh, goody. I can hardly wait.

I use my pickup on my farm. I’m in and out of it very frequently as I work in the fields, and every time I must re-fasten my seat belt or risk my sanity. Level ground, no other vehicles. Maybe a deer to see, if I’m lucky, but unfortunately not close by. Sometimes I exit the truck every few minutes. Same with co-workers in the other seats.

Seat belts save lives; I get it. But they are also unnecessary and aggravating in some situations; government regulators don’t get it. Could we please have a disconnect switch for this feature, even if active for just a few hours? The writing of truly useful regulations requires nuance.

Since I’m already griping: Perhaps the alarm that obnoxiously sounds to remind me that I’ve [intentionally] left the keys in the ignition when I turn the truck off and exit could be optional? Is it necessary for my safety that I remove the keys, risking dropping them in the tall prairie grass, every time I turn off and exit the truck?

While I’m at it, must the headlights come on every time we start a vehicle?

Are you listening, regulators and vehicle manufacturers?

Please?

Tom Hoffman,

Lawrence