this post was submitted on 26 Apr 2025
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I agree. It is VERY stupid to not wear one, but seatbelt laws in the US were a test of control, not safety.
Seatbelts are a constitutional violation on personal freedom. Argue all you want, but they are.
If you think about it, all regulations stemming from the DoT are.
They're infringing on my right to drive with no head or taillights.
They're infringing on my right to ignore traffic signs.
They're infringing on my right to drive on the left side of the road.
They're infringing on my right to drive a monster truck on the highway.
In a truly free country, I could drive my truck with 66" tires down the so-called "wrong" side of the road in the dead of night with no lights whatsoever. Sure, I might injure or kill someone, but I also might not, and stopping me from doing so is clearly stopping me from my pursuit of happiness.
Tail lights and the like are required for the safety of others. Seatbelts are basically the government being your mom and making you wear a winter coat because she worries.
The same goes for regulations requiring air bags, crumple zones, tempered glass windows, and other safety features designed to protect the occupants of a vehicle. If seatbelts are government overreach, then so are these. It's my God-given right to die as violently as possible in an easily-preventable accident.
Those are regulations upon the automobile industry.
They can make seatbelt installation mandatory, but forcing people to wear them is a violation of personal freedom.
It is what it is. Motorcycle helmets are exactly the same. Your state may require them, my state has declared helmet laws unconstitutional. This is from New Hampshire, the only state where seat belts are not required:
[New Hampshire has] "a strong emphasis on individual liberty and a reluctance to infringe on personal freedoms, rooted in their state motto, "Live Free or Die". Many residents and lawmakers believe the government should not dictate personal choices, such as whether or not to wear a seat belt. "