Is a law requiring you to wear a seat belt, a violation of our civil rights?

Question

I understand that wearing my seat belt is a good safety precaution and I do wear mine. However, it bugs me that the government can legally require to me to wear a seat belt. If I don't wear a seat belt and have an accident, aren't I only causing harm to myself? Shouldn't our laws be in place so our actions don't harm another person? Does the government feel they have to protect me from myself? If so, what's next - a law requiring us to eat our vegetables? It could be argued that people who have poor diets incurred more health care costs and that effectives everyone through increased health insurance premiums.

I'm a patriot. I am proud to be a citizen of the U.S. I vote. My father was a high ranking police officer for a large metropolitian city but the seat belt law just bugs me!

I was surprised but glad to see 15 people responded to this question. I am new to Yahoo Answers but I haven't seen many questions with 15 answers. I think 15 answers it is an indicator that people are interested in our government and the effect our laws have on us individually and how our actions effect others. Some people misunderstood my question. I asked if it is a violation of our civil rights not if I should obey the law. I had given some thought to the consequences of a driver who has an accident while not wearing a seat belt but didn't think of any of the things mentioned here. After reading the answers, I thought of how an individual would feel who is involved in an accident with a driver who isn't wearing a seat belt. They are likely to be distressed by the other person's injuries even if the accident wasn't their fault.

Answer 1

I don't know what to tell you. It's law, it's not unconstitutional, and it will continue to be enforced.

Answer 2

You know, it bugged me too, and I hated putting that belt on. I was use to not using it, and I felt uncomfortable, belt rub to close to my chest etc... I found all kinds of excuses. Then one day on the way to work, I was delayed for over four hours in a traffic pile up. many people got out of their cars and walked down the side of the road to see what the problem was. What it was, a family. Dad, Mom and three children from less than a year old to about six yrs old. Apparently for some reason cars begin to stop, and there was a chain reaction, cars hitting each other in the rear end. One car in mind, I will never forget! Two older children that was in the back seat, were partly on the hood, ground and blood ,skin and body parts were hung in the wind shield. The smallest child, nearly still in mothers lap, was stuck together with his mother, who also was partially buried in the windshield, and Dad, protected by the stirring wheel, I guess, only had half his head cut off. I will never forget this for as long as I live, that scene. So , if a seat belt will secure me and my family well enough to keep us from flying through a wind shield, then so be it. I will buckle up!!! No matter who made that law.

Answer 3

How about having some thought and concern for the emergency people who attend road accidents. Don't you think seeing somebody who has had their face removed by the going through a windscreen might make it hard for them to sleep at night when they know that if the idiot had been wearing a seat belt all they might be concerned with is a broken collar bone.
Some laws are made to protect fools from themselves and this is one of them.
I saw a documentary the other day of accidents on an American freeway. They were horrific and at high speed and yet nobody was seriously injured because all were wearing seat belt. Says it all doesn't it?

Answer 4

If you 'want to live dangerously' why don't you join the military or become a cop or something productive. I am not aware of the bill of rights giving people a right to harm or endanger themselves. Especially since the only thing not wearing a seatbelt does is put you in danger. But if you don't want to, just risk getting fined with it. I mean, if you don't wear your seatbelt 1000 times and then get ticketed a few times for 10 dollars, just consider it a tax like the tax on cigarettes or alcohol. but seriously, consider wearing your seatbelt. Maybe you don't care about getting hurt or dying, but there are certainly people who DO care about people. If nothing else, it could save a person who accidentally hits you from a manslaughter charge.. Do you smoke or do you not because its unhealthy for you? Because under 25 car accidents are the biggest cause of death!

Answer 5

I used to agree with you. However, my great uncle made a great point, If something happened and I somehow lost control of my car, with no seat belt and was thrown all the way across my car, there is no chance of me recovering control of my car, yet if i have my seat belt on I may have a chance, even if it is just slamming on the breaks to get my car to stop. I ended up in a really bad wreck last yr, I was rear ended by a drunk driver, and though I don't remember any of it I somehow stopped my car from hitting a vineyard, telephone poll and a another little pole on the side of the road. I believe if I had not had my seat belt on my daughter and I would not be as good as we are today. So this is not just to keep people from hurting themselves, but from hurting each other even unintetionally.

Answer 6

You mention the fact that health care cost rise when people don't take care of their health. This is the same thing. When you are involved in an accident you do not come out of it unscathed. If you wear a seat belt chances are you are still going to be injured but not dead. Without one the chances that you could die are a given.

Answer 7

Yep say for instance you get into a car accident, Then you don't wear your seat belt and you are slammed through your windshield and land on the road in front of you. A car coming towards you swears to not hit you and rams him self into the barrier on the side of the road.

Now if you had your seat belt on, the car coming toward you wouldn't have swerved and the driver would be ok.

Okay I am sure this hardly ever happens. But the next thing you will be asking is why do children have to wear selt belts or have car seats because it is the law. Is that agaisnt their civil rights?

Laws are laws for reasons and sometimes we don't agree with them but we do have to follow them or face the consquences.

Answer 8

You will be causing harm to yourself, you're right. As well as suing the car manufacturers' as*ses off for your injuries. That is exactly why in order to protect manufacturers, insurance companies, and millions of taxpayers from your "rights" to everything the law requires you to wear a seat belt.

Answer 9

There, you said it yourself. You said that "people who have poor diets incurred more health care costs and that effectives everyone through increased health insurance premiums." Similarly, people who get hurt more seriously when they get into accidents incure more medical bills and car repair bills, which the insurance company has to pay. This causes higher auto insurance premiums for everyone.

Answer 10

Anne

The point is - I think that when you don't wear your seat belt you are or can be hurting others

If there was a law that shielded folks from lawsuits from the non-seatbelt wearers then I would be all with you!

Like motorcycle helmets - If a motorcyclist could not sue someone when he was not wearing a helmet then I would say in fact there was a true assumption of risk

Answer 11

You can harm others by not wearing a seat belt. In an abrupt maneuver you might slide out of your seat. Unable to control your car and kill someone.

Also the government is helping keep everyone else's car insurance premiums lower by reducing the amount of money involved in a car accident. This keeps people out of the hospital or at least out of the hospital sooner.
.