Seat Belts
I'm a big fan of seat belts - I wear them religiously. Not because it's the law, but because it's common sense. However, I'm an even bigger fan of freedom, as long as I'm not hurting anyone.
It's not that I mind being told about the benefits of seat belts - I do. It's just that I don't want to be forced to do things for my own good, and I certainly don't want to be spanked. I'm not a child. My body, my choice. And if you don't agree with that, then I'm sure you wouldn't mind if I made some changes to YOUR life for your own good, so I hope you like fish oil and exercise. Please read my letter to the editor below.
The general argument for mandatory seat belt laws is that people who don't wear seat belts burden society with increased medical costs. But I question that - I want to know how much they add to the costs.
Maybe wearing seat belts cost society more.
I don't really believe that, but one of the most famous car crashes in history seems to suggest just that. Three out of four people died in Princess Di accident. The only person to survived was the only one wearing a seat belt.
Now that's a HUGE argument to wear seat belts. However, the only person to burden society with additional medical costs was the one wearing the seat belt. Everyone dies (eventually), so the additional cost of the three not wearing seat belts was zero. But the person wearing the seat belt went through years of expensive medical treatment and rehabilitation. So if you're going to use this argument, prove it first.
Let motorists choose to wear a seat belt
Letter to the Daily Record, 3/30/97
To the Editor:
In response to Officer George Kurzenknabe, Frederick Gruel of the American Automobile Association, and everyone else who supports mandatory seat belt laws and punishments: stop treating us like children. It is you job to warn and teach, not force and spank.
If you're concerned about increased costs to society, then just have a little check box on accident reports for whether or not the occupants were wearing seat belts. If the weren't then they forfeit half of their insurance medical benefits.
And since you think it's OK to force your opinions and punishments on us for our own good, then I have a few for you.
I think you should wear helmets while driving to further reduce injuries. And you should get a ticket for buying fatty snacks or eating at Burger World, plus 2 points on your health insurance for not exercising or taking your vitamins and fish oil pills.
We could use these fines to offset the tremendous costs related to cholesterol and heart disease. Poor diet and lack of exercise kill hundreds of thousands each year, far more than from not wearing seat belts.
One last question: Is all that money you're collecting from seat belt laws finding its way to offset those increased medical costs? Judging from my last insurance premium, I don't think so.
For the record, I've worn seat belts religiously since I was 17. My choice, not yours. And my advice to people who don't: It's your funeral. ...But still your choice.
- Jim Padykula