Wearing seatbelts should be choice, not law

The United States is considered the one of the freest countries in the world. We

have the freedom to our own political, religious, economical, and social beliefs. We can choose our jobs, where we live, our hobbies, and whom we marry. There's so many things we are allowed to do and have it be our own personal choice. Of course, we may face the consequences of what we do, but at least we have we have the freedom to do so. However, there is one thing we are not allowed to choose : Seatbelts. While it may seem trite, wearing a seatbelt should be personal choice, like so many things are in America.

Our safety is our choice, so if we don't want to wear a seatbelt, it should be our personal decision. Risking our own life should not be regulated by the government. The government has taken our right of personal safety, and not only taken it away, but fines us for it. A fine for not wearing a seatbelt can range from $15 to $250, depending on the situation. The CDC has stated that seat belts only save about 50% of people involved in serious car related accident anyway. You have a 50/50 shot, with or without the seatbelt, and that should be something an individual decide for the self, not the government.

There are also things that are just as dangerous that are perfectly legal. Most notably, motorcycles. Not only do motorcycles not have seatbelts, you have no protection at all. In a car you have airbags and are inclosed; on a motorcycle, there is nothing between you and the pavement. A study done by Professor John Adams at the University of London show that motorcycles are the safest drivers because of this. A seat belt gives people a falseness of protection, and therefore they drive more reckless. This is the opposite in motorcyclist. So people may drive safer without a seatbelt.

Seatbelts also have the potential to harm you in an emergency situation. You can be trapped in the car, which is the most dangerous when water or fire is involved. There is little to nothing that can be done in those situations. Also, if you are trapped and injured, you cannot get out the car. In some cases, an injury needs to be taken care of very quickly, and if you’re tapped in a seatbelt, again, nothing can be done. There are knives and tools sold specifically to cut seatbelts in those situations. If there is a business around getting out of a seatbelt, there is a problem there.

The law requiring people to wear seatbelts was set in place in 1983, many people believe it should remain a mandatory law. They think it is safer for people to wear them, that people are less likely to be ejected during the crash, and that insurance costs might rise if cars no longer came with belts. As previously stated, seatbelts only prevent 50% of all traffic related deaths. You can still be thrown from a car with a seatbelt on, especially in a older vehicle. Seatbelts can fail over time. Insurance would be no more than expensive than it would be for a motorcyclist. If wearing a seatbelt was a choice, the people who are afraid would still wear it, and the people who don't wear it now, would not get fined for it.

Wearing a seatbelt should be an individual's safety choice. There should be no regulation and law requiring me to do something if the consequence of the action affects me only, which is exactly the case with seatbelts. Unlike with theft or rape or hate crimes, which have clearly discernible victims, not wearing seatbelts only harms the person not wearing it, if it harms them at all. We have the freedom to do many things in this country, but many things are being taken away. Right now it's seatbelts, but what freedom could be taken away next?