Seatbelt use should not be mandated by law.
While I agree that some things are over-regulated this is one point which IMHO clearly isn't. If seatbelts weren't mandatory the death toll would be much higher, same thing with helmets on motorbikes. Even though the amount of traffic rose exponentially in the last 50 years the death toll dropped, seatbelts (among other active and passive measures) play a big role in that drop.Seatbelt use should not be mandated by law.
...so the heirs of the deceased can sue because there was no clear sign of the dangers of driving without a seatbelt?I agree, let evolution do it's job....
Even for kids who can't make an informed decision about that yet?
I can see it being mandated for kids. I can also see it being left to the parents' discretion. Idk.For once I'm with Narf.
Kids don't have the cognitive maturity to understand consequences or think long-term, even adolescents are terrible at this. Parents should absolutely be required to restrain children in a car, but I could honestly give less of a shit about adults making stupid choices for themselves.
Yup. And if someone wants to accept that risk and not use a seatbelt or helmet, that's their problem, not yours or mine. I'm very anal about seatbelt use and I'm always buckled in and force it on my passengers too but I also believe that I have no business telling someone how much risk is or isn't acceptable for them in their own automobile or on their own motorcycle, as it doesn't really affect me.If seatbelts weren't mandatory the death toll would be much higher, same thing with helmets on motorbikes.
No one is saying seat belts aren't important, only that people are going to make their own decisions.
My dad told me a story when I was younger of a meeting he attended as a department head in the military. In this meeting a Major (mid-level officer rank) proposed a new regulation to ban soldiers from tying their boot laces together and throwing them into the overhead service lines. It somehow got started as a tradition that soldiers leaving the Army at this base would do this with their service boots. The Major had slides of boots hanging from wires, explanations of the cost of removing the boots, how it affected the aesthetic of the installation - on and on about this issue. Finally the base commander stopped him and said, "Major, you can't legislate common sense." The CO ended the Major's presentation and got back to other business.
People who are not going to wear a seat belt to avoid becoming a human cannonball are not going to be forced into wearing a seat belt by a fine. At some point dumb people will do dumb things and all the laws, regulations, and nannying won't change that. It may sound callous, but there are people who will die as a result of their own stupidity - this is inevitable. You can require motorcyclists wear helmets, and the Harley Riders who watch too much Sons of Anarchy will go get the smallest, shittiest helmet they can find to avoid tickets. Hell, I've seen guys wearing novelty decorative helmets instead of ones with a DOT approval as a passive-aggressive "fuck you" to the law.
Think about that for a second. This is a person who is intentionally wearing a helmet that does nothing to protect them in a crash simply because they are required to wear a helmet to avoid being cited.
That is the level of stupidity we are dealing with
No one is saying seat belts aren't important, only that people are going to make their own decisions.
My dad told me a story when I was younger of a meeting he attended as a department head in the military. In this meeting a Major (mid-level officer rank) proposed a new regulation to ban soldiers from tying their boot laces together and throwing them into the overhead service lines. It somehow got started as a tradition that soldiers leaving the Army at this base would do this with their service boots. The Major had slides of boots hanging from wires, explanations of the cost of removing the boots, how it affected the aesthetic of the installation - on and on about this issue. Finally the base commander stopped him and said, "Major, you can't legislate common sense." The CO ended the Major's presentation and got back to other business.
People who are not going to wear a seat belt to avoid becoming a human cannonball are not going to be forced into wearing a seat belt by a fine. At some point dumb people will do dumb things and all the laws, regulations, and nannying won't change that. It may sound callous, but there are people who will die as a result of their own stupidity - this is inevitable. You can require motorcyclists wear helmets, and the Harley Riders who watch too much Sons of Anarchy will go get the smallest, shittiest helmet they can find to avoid tickets. Hell, I've seen guys wearing novelty decorative helmets instead of ones with a DOT approval as a passive-aggressive "fuck you" to the law.
Think about that for a second. This is a person who is intentionally wearing a helmet that does nothing to protect them in a crash simply because they are required to wear a helmet to avoid being cited.
That is the level of stupidity we are dealing with
Sure, a fine may help push a few people off the fence to avoid a fine and create initial momentum
we have had 30 years of that by now
the people who are going to refuse to wear a belt are not going to be convinced by a fine or PSAs.
If you quietly removed the seat belt laws tomorrow, my bet is that nearly every person who wears a belt today will still wear one next week.
Sure, a law probably increases the use of seatbelts and reduces fatalities. My point is that adults can decide for themselves how to weigh the inconvenience of putting on a seatbelt versus increased risk of injury or death. If an adult decides not to wear a seatbelt, that's their business, not mine, because they're the ones that will be headbutting the windshield. You take your life into your own hands, no need for a nanny.
Sure, a law probably increases the use of seatbelts and reduces fatalities. My point is that adults can decide for themselves how to weigh the inconvenience of putting on a seatbelt versus increased risk of injury or death. If an adult decides not to wear a seatbelt, that's their business, not mine, because they're the ones that will be headbutting the windshield. You take your life into your own hands, no need for a nanny.
Sure, a law probably increases the use of seatbelts and reduces fatalities. My point is that adults can decide for themselves how to weigh the inconvenience of putting on a seatbelt versus increased risk of injury or death. If an adult decides not to wear a seatbelt, that's their business, not mine, because they're the ones that will be headbutting the windshield. You take your life into your own hands, no need for a nanny.
Ah, so anything that might prolong a road closure is an unacceptable risk? Engine oil should be banned because if it spills in a crash it takes longer to clean up.By not wearing a seat belt in an accident you do affect others. Take the 25mph fender bender example, occupants wearing a seat belt will walk away from that, allowing a swift clean-up and little road closure. Without a seat belt that turns into injuries, that road closure will inevitably be larger and longer, and more public services get involved at everyone's expense. The significantly increased risk of getting disabled puts a drain on society - you'll probably lose your current job, get hefty medical bills, require public assistance, etc. and the investment made by society to raise and educate you is wasted. Same thing in faster accidents, you're much more likely to die... a young adult's death is a huge cost for society.
You could of course now argue that pensioners should be banned from wearing seat belts
There's another factor, a seat belt helps you stay in control of your car. During heavy braking or fast cornering, the roller will lock and keep you in place (at least in most cars I've driven recently, certainly not in older ones) - increasing your chance of avoiding an accident... accidents that obviously could involve other people, property, public services, or just road closures annoying everyone else.