I think that seat belts should be mandated by law, because we all (society) ends up bearing the brunt of the cost for people who fail to wear their seatbelts.

In fact, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

It has been proven that seat belt laws increase the use of seat belts. Increasing the national seat belt use rate to 90 percent from the current 68 percent would prevent and estimated 5,536 fatalities, 132,670 injuries and save the nation $8.8 billion annually.

We all pay for those who do not wear seat belts. The higher health care and insurance costs that result from unbelted drivers and passengers involved in crashes get passed along to everyone.

For example, the costs of hospital care for an unbelted driver are 50 percent higher than those for a driver who was wearing a safety belt. Society bears 85 percent of those costs, not the individuals involved.

Thus, seat belt use should be mandatory.

Yes, we need laws to protect everyone (or at least as many people as we can) from as many dangers as possible. We need to protect the human race at all cost. This can be facilitated getting people off the planet so that we don't have all of our eggs in one basket. And as we ship them up into space, we need to make sure that they are wearing their seat belts just in case they slam into a meteor heading towards Earth. That way they will survive and make it towards Mars to start anew. Since Mars is cold, they will have to start generating green house gasses to warm up the planet (but we're already pretty good at that). We need to spread humanity to the outer reaches of space and time. Since our television signals (especially today's news) would have preceded us, the universe will no doubt welcome us with open arms. It is our Manifest Destiny!

does anyone realize how many lives have been, are, and will be saved by wearing a seatbelt. with the decisions that people make....drinking and driving.... it would be stupid not to wear them. our country is trying to keep us all safe by giving us these laws. its a personal choice to obey the law or not, so if its a law you can still choose whether you want to wear them or not.

The choice not to wear a seat belt does not only affect the life of the individual choosing not to wear one, but also the lives of others. Increased costs to society through subsidized health care and emotional burdens on the family members of those killed in car crashes outweighs the individual's right to choose whether or not to wear a seat belt. The consequences of an individual's choice are not confined only to that person, thus the requirement to wear a seat belt serves to protect other people from one person's error in judgment.

My sister was in a car accident a few months ago and died instantly... if she had been wearing a seatbelt she would still be alive and my nephew would still have a mother.

The seatbelt law is one law that should be enforced everywhere. How hard is it to put on a seatbelt? Just by doing that small thing you could save your life. No one ever plans on getting in a fatal accident but it happens. And when it does you're not only paying the price with your life, your relatives and friends also have to deal with the loss of someone they loved and cared about.

Seatbelts have reduced the number of vehicle-related deaths. The statistics speak for themselves.

It could keep the driver in his/her seat when the driving gets very rough (like right before and during an accident). That fact means that the driver has more control over the car (because he remains in his seat). That could protect others on the road , or in the car , or anywhere else, from getting hurt.

IF IT ONLY AFFECTED THE DRIVER, i would say it doesnt matter. But belts could help the driver stay driving. So theyre required

seatbelts ARE in cars to save lifes

What about the psychological damage an unfastened body can cause for others involved in the accident? Also, there is a good chance that the body itself can do further damage to other people or property after it is projected from the vehicle.

Why would anyone be against wearing a seatbelt? Yes you can go on and on about the intellectual right to self determine if you are going to wear one, but in this instance, there is no reason at all for someone to NOT wear a seatbelt. It's a proven fact that they save lives and that they are not an inconvenience when driving. With that in mind, this law is not a violation of liberty, it simply makes sense in the same way that mandating car manufacturers to follow safety guidelines makes sense.

The government has a moral responsibility to protect its people. End of debate.

You guys don't have seatbelt laws?!

If Australia has to have seatbelt laws than I can't see how it's fair to Australians. There should be a global law in place that says "If one country has a law than all the World Leaders agree and decide to keep the law. That's why the US should have seatbelt laws.

In Australia we have them, basically these laws are to save stupid people from themselves. If you are on this website trying to construct an intellectual debate, you probably already wear a seat belt. If you don't you seriously need to rethink your life as you will be in a wheelchair by the time you are 30.