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Mandatory seat belt laws violate one's right of privacy. This especially holds true when police officers randomly stop motorists to check for seat belt usage. This could be compared to entering a private dwelling without a search warrant and checking for illegal substances or copying someone's hard drive. It's just not ethical.

There is no question that seat belts have saved lives. As a matter of fact, it is reasonably certain that my wife has escaped death on two different occasions by wearing them. Nevertheless, the driver and /or passengers of any motor vehicle should be given the choice of whether to use them or not. We take risks every day. Some people smoke. Others enjoy mountain-climbing. Still others eat fast food five times a week. What we choose to do with our bodies is our business. As intelligent beings, any potential harm we choose to place ourselves in; provided it does not affect the well-being of those who decline to participate, should likewise be free of government intervention.

Regarding seat belts, I personally find them uncomfortable and confining. In addition, I hold a delivery job that requires frequent stopping and getting out of the vehicle. If I were to latch and unlatch my van's seat belt every time I had to make a stop, I'd be putting in 90 hours a week! Granted, in the state where I reside, those who hold such jobs are exempt from mandatory seat belt use; provided the stops are close enough together, but could you imagine what it would be like if such workers also had to buckle up every time they got behind the steering wheel?

I also happen to think it is pointless to wear seat belts if you are simply going a couple of blocks to the corner store. Of course, the biggest argument I get when discussing this subject is that most accidents occur within five miles of one's home. This could be true, but has this ever been substantiated? It would seem that two-lane highways would hold the most opportunities for serious mishaps. For example, suppose you or somebody else coming from the opposite direction finds themselves stuck behind a farm implement going 15 mph or an old woman in a Buick going 20 mph under the posted speed limit. Passing such an individual is quite risky on these types of roads because oncoming traffic is not always easy to see. Since a head-on collision involving two vehicles coming at each other at 55 mph is like hitting a brick wall at 110 mph, these accidents are the most likely to result in grave injury or death.

Winter driving conditions also provide greater prospects for a serious accident. Ice and snow-covered roads can be challenging even to the most skilled of drivers and therefore it becomes wise to buckle up in such settings, for you never know how well that other driver will perform under these circumstances. But on a clear day on a multi-lane Interstate highway, the individual should have the right to choose whether or not to wear seatbelts. This should apply to passengers as well. Law enforcement officials need to focus more on keeping drunk and reckless drivers off our roads rather than ticketing someone simply because he or she isn't strapped in as if they were about to ride some huge roller coaster at a theme park.

If the government continues to invade our personal liberties under the guise of saving lives, then a day will arrive when we will be forbidden to even leave our homes. Keep Big Brother out of the equation and concentrate on stopping the real criminals in our society.

Learn more about this author, Patrick Sills.
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