Seat belt laws restrain freedom
Seat belt laws deny, through prior restraint, a person’s right to determine health standards for his or her own body, the ultimate private property. Not using a seat belt is a state-created, victimless crime.
While seat belts might save some people, there is ample proof that people have been injured and killed because of them in some accidents. Some people are alive only because they didn’t use seat belts. In those cases, the victims are subject to fines for not dying in the accidents.
The government has no constitutional authority to maim and kill some people just to save others. It has no right to take chances with a person’s body. If a doctor attempted to force you to use a device, take a drug or have surgery, he or she would be violating patients’ rights — your right to decide what measures you take to protect your own body. They would be subject to prosecution under the law. When politicians force you to use their device, they violate that same right and face no consequences.
Because we feel safer wearing seat belts, studies show we tend to drive more recklessly. Therefore, money we spend for traffic safety should focus on responsibly educated drivers and safer roads and vehicles. Preventing accidents will save lives, alleviate the cost of property damage and, most importantly, give us freedom.
There is nothing wrong with voluntary seat belt use. However, mandatory seat belt laws should be repealed in order to restore liberty in the United States.
William J. Holdorf
Chicago, Ill.