Shouldn’t whether or not to wear a safety belt be a personal decision rather than required by law?
Safety belt use is not a personal decision. The decision not to wear a safety belt has potential negative consequences for society as a whole and can end up costing the general public. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a fact sheet detailing the economic costs resulting from people who don’t wear belts available on the Web at: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/airbags/buckleplan/mayplanner2003/factsheet.html. Following are some of the facts on the cost to society of people not wearing seat belts from the NHTSA fact sheet: The general public pays nearly three-quarters of all crash costs, primarily through insurance premiums, taxes, delays and lost productivity.
