Steve B. said:
I don't understand why anyone, other than their family, cares if they
are wearing a seatbelt.
Nobody does.
I think it is stupid to be in a car without a seatbelt on but it is
your body and your life.
Okay, well, that's a start.
Why do I get to decide that you have to wear a seatbelt?
YOU don't. Neither do I.
Moreover, you don't have to wear a seatbelt. Drive on your own roads,
and nobody can say boo. Anyone should feel free to be as stupid as they
want, disregarding any and all common sense, accumulated wisdom and
genetic memory. People do this all the time.
However, if you or I or anyone else, no matter how stupid, drives upon
the public roadways which are built and maintained with public monies,
then you got to follow the rules. 'Cause you don't own those roads all
to yourself. One of those rules is "WEAR YOUR SEATBELT". It's a rule
because it's been shown over and over to make the public roadways safer
for everyone to use. Even so, you don't have to follow the rules if you
don't mind risking the potential consequential penalty--ranging from a
ticket to your own maiming to death.
When I was in Seattle in the ninties, I got to talking to an airport cop
during a slow period at SeaTac. He told me that many drivers
knowingly--and surprisingly cheerfully--chose get a parking ticket
because it only cost them $25 and the amount of time they would spend
looking for a legal space plus paying for the space, combined with the
time they would spend walking to and from the legal space would be more
costly and less convenient than just paying the ticket.
Shoot, look at all the "drivers" (using the term loosely) who quite
murderously ignore speed limits on residential and other surface
streets. Look at all the people who die when they are ejected from their
vehicle because they weren't strapped in. Look at all the people who
drive on the wrong side of the road--just to PARK, for God's sake--or
who run red lights or stop signs, cut in front of oncoming traffic, or
swerve across three lanes of traffic to make their exit or turn...just
so they don't have to turn around.
There's a LOT of them out there on the road. No doubt their behavior
adds considerable weight to justify seatbelt laws.
See, the rules are pretty clear for people like you who don't understand
"why" rules exist but follow them anyway. Unfortunately, it's just as
easy for people who, whether or not they understand "why", choose to
ignore the rules anyway. And then we all wind up paying.