Chinese Thwarting Seatbelt Laws with T-Shirts

11 years, 9 months ago - 12 March 2013, Autoblog
Chinese Thwarting Seatbelt Laws with T-Shirts
If necessity is the mother of ingenuity, law enforcement must be the doting father. Drivers in China have taken to circumventing local seatbelt laws by purchasing and wearing special T-shirts.

The shirts feature a graphic with a stripe that runs from shoulder to hip, creating the illusion that the driver is wearing his or her harness while seated. Police have reportedly begun cracking down on drivers for not wearing their belts after a rash of collisions resulted in occupants jettisoned from their vehicles. Now, getting busted without wearing your safety belt carries a penalty of the equivalent of $8 and two points on your license. Lose 12 points and you're walking.

The shirts themselves can cost up to $8, and while they aren't specifically illegal, some police have called the garments "self-deceptive." We aren't entirely sure what that means, though we imagine procuring and wearing the T is a bit more of a hassle than simply buckling up, regardless of the safety risks.