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 Originally Posted by wufwugy
Asking about when government requiring seatbelt use is right. It would be when the government setting this policy more efficiently addresses your safety than you do, which means that government setting the policy results in you being safer at the same cost or as safe as normal at a lower cost. A deeper way of saying this is that government setting the policy results in you having more of your preferences met than otherwise.
I'm not sure I follow this, but if you're arguing FOR seatbelt laws...I disagree.
While it's true, a seatbelt law probably makes the population safer....so what? Why does that mean that the government is obligated to create and enforce that law? If the government outlawed driving altogether, then everyone would be even safer.....so why not do that? Do you see now how this could be dangerous when we start applying the same logic to issues more significant that seatbelts?
And what if I just find the seatbelt uncomfortable? Why can't I be free to weigh the risks of not wearing it vs. the discomfort of wearing it? Why would we let a government make those *subjective* decisions?
If we're making seat belt laws....why not laws about motorcycle helmets? But maybe I like riding without a helmet, and I consciously accept the risks.
The only reason seat belt laws exist is because lobbyists for various healthcare entities got into bed with lawmakers. The HC industry saves money because people get hurt less, and some of the savings finds its way into campaign contributions. Also, the gov't increases its revenue by creating another ticket-able offense. Sadly, that's how a lot of stuff gets done in government.
In the case of seatbelts, the logic of using them is so universally accepted, that a law requiring it goes easily unnoticed. Many people just think "oh, I wear my seatbelt anyway, so I don't care about the law". But what they don't realize is that their government has over-stepped it's bounds and been exploited by a special interest. That's bad. That's really really really really bad.
I'm somewhat proud to live in a state that has resisted this practice. We don't have seatbelt laws cause we don't need seatbelt laws. Our state motto is "Live Free or Die" and we mean it. We'd rather be dead than let a government decide what's best for us.
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