Should wearing motorcycle helmets and car seatbelts for adults be optional?
Very good question, because it raises fundamental issues about basic freedoms and liberties. Not many people realise, that the seat belt legislation was the first piece of nannying legislation to be imposed upon us for our own good. It was unpopular at the time, because it was unprecedented as many of us realised. On balance, it is probably wise to wear them, but not in every situation. If you have to escape from a car quickly, eg, you are about to drive into a river. I saw a person trapped, with the car upside down and petrol leaking out of the car. He couldn’t get the belt off. However, the above is beside the point. By and large, seat belts only protect the wearer. It is the fact that you are being told to wear them for your own good that breaches a fundamental freedom. I don’t think anyone would mind them being a manufacturers option. One argument that has been put forward against them, is that, what you should be doing is making the driver feel as insecure as possible, so that he
