The "Seatbelt Laws"

All over the country police agencies are stepping up enforcement of seatbelt laws. The justification given for the existence of those laws is that wearing seatbelts saves lives.

I have no quarrel with the claim that seatbelts save lives. Wearing a seatbelt is most definitely a very good idea. But merely being a "good idea" is not sufficient justification for making it a law. For example, refraining from eating sugar is also a very good idea because sugar isn't good for you. Yet it isn't against the law to eat candy, is it? (At least not yet it isn't!)

The purpose of laws should be to protect citizens from the potentially harmful actions of others. Laws should not be passed that merely protect us from ourselves. It should be the right of each individual to decide for himself whether or not he wants to live foolishly or dangerously, as long as his decisions affect nobody else. It should not be the prerogative of "Big Brother" to dictate to us what we must do (and not do) "for our own good." What business is it of the police if I don't wear a seatbelt? If I'm in an accident and I'm not wearing a seatbelt, the only person I injure is me. My not wearing a seatbelt infringes on no one else's rights.

When I was a kid I used to hear the phrase, "This is a free country." But now I'm not so sure about that anymore. Today the government is telling me that I must wear my seatbelt ... or else! I can only wonder what other personal freedoms they'll be taking away from me tomorrow...