BUCKLE UP!?? I’ve Got News For You
Are you comfortable allowing the government to infringe upon your Fourth amendment rights? Are you comfortable with your State Legislature passing laws that go against the will of the people by an overwhelming 75 percent? This is the stark reality of our seat-belt laws that are in effect today. Choosing to wear a seat belt is a wise decision to make, however, passing a law to make the wearing of seat belts mandatory and punishable by law is a glaring infringement upon our civil liberties. In 1985 seat-belt laws began passing through State Legislature despite a long history of public resistance to such laws. The facts behind how this came to be are quite fascinating. Automakers were bitterly opposed to …show more content…
This could create the undesirable effect of a driver being more dangerous to fellow motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, as police officers are routinely burdened with investing their time to fill quotas writing seat-belt tickets their time is squandered. In Detroit, seat-belt use is up to approximately 90% compliance, meanwhile approximately 70% of their murders go unsolved. Ultimately, this argument is not about the wisdom of choosing to buckle up; Voluntary seat belt use is most highly encouraged. This is about the unjust passage of law that requires one to do so. I would be remiss to not point out that, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012, if your only crime is not wearing a seat-belt, you are subject to police arrest, handcuffs, jail and yes, you may be strip searched too! We may as well change that catchy slogan, “click it or ticket” to “click it or strip …show more content…
The argument that seat-belts can increase our safety, potentially save lives and therefore any wise individual should take precaution and buckle up is a valid one, but by making this a mandatory law, we are in essence opening the door for our government to further infringe upon our right to decide what we will or will not individually do to insure our personal well-being. Could government regulation of food consumption come next, with fines for those who overeat and put themselves at far greater risk for disease and heart attacks. This too could indeed save lives. We must be cognizant of the broader statements we make when we allow the passage of laws that open the door to cutting our personal liberties that were so valiantly fought for and
Are you comfortable allowing the government to infringe upon your Fourth amendment rights? Are you comfortable with your State Legislature passing laws that go against the will of the people by an overwhelming 75 percent? This is the stark reality of our seat-belt laws that are in effect today. Choosing to wear a seat belt is a wise decision to make, however, passing a law to make the wearing of seat belts mandatory and punishable by law is a glaring infringement upon our civil liberties. In 1985 seat-belt laws began passing through State Legislature despite a long history of public resistance to such laws. The facts behind how this came to be are quite fascinating. Automakers were bitterly opposed to …show more content…
This could create the undesirable effect of a driver being more dangerous to fellow motorists, cyclists and pedestrians. Additionally, as police officers are routinely burdened with investing their time to fill quotas writing seat-belt tickets their time is squandered. In Detroit, seat-belt use is up to approximately 90% compliance, meanwhile approximately 70% of their murders go unsolved. Ultimately, this argument is not about the wisdom of choosing to buckle up; Voluntary seat belt use is most highly encouraged. This is about the unjust passage of law that requires one to do so. I would be remiss to not point out that, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2012, if your only crime is not wearing a seat-belt, you are subject to police arrest, handcuffs, jail and yes, you may be strip searched too! We may as well change that catchy slogan, “click it or ticket” to “click it or strip …show more content…
The argument that seat-belts can increase our safety, potentially save lives and therefore any wise individual should take precaution and buckle up is a valid one, but by making this a mandatory law, we are in essence opening the door for our government to further infringe upon our right to decide what we will or will not individually do to insure our personal well-being. Could government regulation of food consumption come next, with fines for those who overeat and put themselves at far greater risk for disease and heart attacks. This too could indeed save lives. We must be cognizant of the broader statements we make when we allow the passage of laws that open the door to cutting our personal liberties that were so valiantly fought for and