by Aris Jameson

Created on: May 18, 2008   Last Updated: April 03, 2010

Yes, mandatory seat belt laws flagrantly violate individual rights. But considering the fact that our government believes the only way to keep people safe is to limit their individual rights, I guess we shouldn't be surprised that infringing laws like this are allowed to exist.

Laws should only be created to protect members of society from harm; they are not intended to protect people from themselves. For example, if someone is speeding, driving recklessly, or operating a vehicle while intoxicated, that person should be pulled over because he or she is jeopardizing the safety of others on the road. Conversely, if a person chooses to risk his or her own safety by not wearing a seatbelt (or a motorcyclist not wearing a helmet), that person should be allowed to do so because there is no threat posed to other drivers.

A recent campaign slogan promulgated by the Department of Transportation stated: "click it or ticket, the police are serious about saving lives" However, it would have been a much more accurate reflection of the system if the slogan had read: "click it or ticket, the police are serious about making money."

I don't find it particularly reassuring that cops look for people who aren't buckled up, yet they fail to stop temerarious drivers who crowd others, weave in and out of traffic, and blaze up and down the road. If they were serious about saving lives, they'd focus their energy on citing these drivers, as they are the ones who cause accidents and kill people. Instead, cops are targeting people who aren't wearing seatbelts, while an average 43,000 people are being killed in car accidents each year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, forty percent of these accidents involved impaired drivers - that number might be lower if cops actually focused their energy on saving lives instead of making money.

And if our society is so concerned with safety, how come school buses and other public transportation vehicles don't have seatbelts? Those seats are as hard as boards, but cops don't really care too much about the safety of innocent children, they'd rather spend their time pulling over some adult who isn't bucked up.

Finally, not only are seat belt laws unconstitutional, but they are also unenforceable. Unless a cop has night vision goggles on, he'd better not be pulling someone over after sunset for a "seatbelt violation." In addition, New Hampshire does not have seatbelt laws at all, creating incongruity and ambiguity on American roads. For example, in some states like Montana and Connecticut, motorcyclists do not have to wear helmets at all, while in others like Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, they are compelled by law to do so. In 49 states, drivers must wear seat belts, yet in New Hampshire they are not required to buckle up. In some states one cannot use a cell phone, while in others they are perfectly legal.

Honestly, all of these freedom-restricting laws are preposterous - are we still living in the United States of America or what? Fatal car accidents are occurring at an alarming rate, and trying to force people to wear their seatbelts is obviously not saving many lives. We've all been given licenses to drive, and it is time for cops to stop masking their money-making schemes as attempts to keep us safe, and start focusing on stopping the people who do cause deadly accidents each year. A cop pulling someone over for a seatbelt violation while three other cars fly by while vearing in and out of traffic and tailgating each other doesn't do anyone any good.

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