Devon Davidson

Jacob Kendall
Coty Lobsinger
Jackson Snider
Nick Sponseller
Mr. Gross
English 12 B (3)
8 May 2015
Death Strap
If wearing seat belts had not been mandatory in vehicles, seven year old Isabelle might
have survived the car accident. Isabelles parents can no longer see her beautiful smile, hear her
giggle,watch her accept her diploma or see her grow into a young woman. Instead, they are
forced to cope with Isabelles death. Seat belts must not be a requirement to wear in the United
States of America. Seat belts cause more damage than good in many accidents. Seat belt laws are
not reasonable and are hypocritical. Seat belt laws are being used as a source of revenue for law
enforcement across the country. Many progressives believe seat belt laws must be required for
the safety of the American public as it is the governments job to protect the people. However,
requiring citizens to wear seat belts goes against the basic freedoms of the United States. It
should be the peoples choice on whether or not they have to wear a seat belt. All of these issues
and more could be resolved by reversing laws requiring seat belts to be worn in vehicles.
Seat belts cause more damage than good in some accidents. Men, women, and children
put their lives in more danger wearing seat belts than those who do not. This fact has been
proven in many cases. The accident had not been that bad. Only the front of the car had been

damaged. And Isabelle seemed fine at first. 'What happened?' I kept asking. But the doctors did
not have any answers. Telling Madeleine was awful. 'Something inside Isabelle broke, and it
could not be fixed,' I told her gently. 'So she cannot be with us anymore.' Crying together, neither
of us wanted to believe it. The nurses had to sedate me after that. I remember Noel and me
staying beside Isabelle for the rest of the day, while my friend Tracey looked after Madeleine.
But the details are a blur. The next week of my life was purgatory. I spent every second
wondering what I could have done differently. What if we would have left home a minute
earlier? What if I had taken our other car? Isabelle's funeral was held on April 20 in Dapto. I
spent the day on autopilot. Noel's daughters from a previous marriage, Hannah, 11, and Laura,
14, looked after Madeleine, the three of them united in their love for their baby sister. We played
Isabelle's favorite music at the start of the service and we all handed out Easter eggs after the
funeral, knowing Isabelle would have loved it. Afterwards, I channelled my grief into finding
answers. 'It is mostly likely Isabelle died due to internal bleeding in her stomach,' her
pediatrician said. 'But what could have caused that?' I asked, confused. He could not say for sure,
but implied it was her seatbelt (Seatbelt 1). This accident shows the other side of the story. Seat
belts can kill. As stated by Doctors at MedStar Emergency Medical Services, seat belts have the
ability to cause physical issues themselves, and the injuries caused by them might not always
seem immediately obvious. There are symptoms to watch for, in accident victims, that may
indicate further damages from a seat belt (Friend 1). Seat belts are not the lifesaving devices they
are advertised to be in vehicles. They can cause serious injuries, both internal and external, to
those who use them. By enforcing laws requiring seat belts, state governments can
unintentionally harm or even kill innocent people, such as little Isabelle. Therefore, seatbelts
must not be mandatory to wear in vehicles.

Seat belt laws are not reasonable and are indeed hypocritical. There are laws
implemented so people do not have to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle, yet a motorcycle
is less safe to drive than a vehicle. For example, if a person is driving down the street in a car and
without warning, the car ahead of them stops in front of them, the car would be more stable than
the motorcycle, and the visibility is lessened in a motorcycle (Motorcycles 1). According to the
U.S. Department of Transportation fatality reporting analysis system, helmets are 37 percent
effective (1). Even with that information available, states like Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and New
Hampshire do not require citizens to wear a helmet while they are driving a motorcycle (Helmet
1). If the government forces people to be safe by enforcing seat belt and helmet laws, then it
should also be illegal to climb mountains and other dangerous activities that are legal. It also
does not make sense to have children going to school five days a week by bus, without any seat
belts. While at the same time, citizens are being pulled over because they do not wear seat belts.
A doctor would not try and force a person to use a medical device, take a drug, have surgery, or
other medical treatment without full consent. Yet the bureaucracies force motorists to use a seat
belt against their will under threat of punishment that could include jail (Fraud 1). If U.S. citizens
have the freedom to risk their lives in dangerous extracurricular activities and medical
treatments, it is ridiculous that the same government punishes them if they do not want to wear a
seat belt.
Seat belt laws are being used as a source of revenue for law enforcement and insurance
companies across the nation. These laws are not about keeping people safe as much as they are
about using the money to fund other programs. In Wisconsin, Hennepin County alone earned
almost $60 million in court fees last year, mostly from people caught doing something wrong on
the road. Most of the fees generated went back into the local police departments and roads (Click

1). This shows that a lot of money is generated from just traffic tickets, with many being seat belt
tickets. The minimum ticket cost of an adult seat belt violation in California is $142 and up and a
minimum of $445 for not properly restraining a child under sixteen (Good 1). In Michigan, a seat
belt ticket could cost between $65 and $105 (District 1). When seat belt laws were first being
introduced many people and politicians said that it would decrease insurance rates because
people would be safer. This idea proved wrong because as of 2015 there is no record of any
insurance company ever reducing its rates because a seat belt law was passed (Fraud 1). They
also cut deals with the auto industry. If companies allowed mandatory seat belt laws to passed in
enough states such that 80% of the population would be covered by such laws, the air bag
mandate would be put on indefinite hold (Onslaught 1). The government is taking advantage of
the hard working American citizen, and it will continue until something changes in American
society. The amount of money taken in from tickets is not enough to pay for the infringement on
American freedoms.
Many progressives believe seat belt laws must be required for the safety of the American
public as it is the governments job to protect the people. In America, personal freedoms stop
where others are injured or killed, according to the liberals at the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (Benefits 1). However, requiring citizens to wear seat belts goes against
the basic freedoms of the United States. In a free society, if someone is injured or killed because
they freely choose to use or not use a seat belt, that is a personal tragedy, as it is with all other
kinds of freely chosen risks in life. "Protect us from ourselves" regulation is not a legitimate
function of the United States government (Testimony 1). The United States was founded upon
the idea of freedom. People risk their lives every day in various ways, whether it is fighting to
protect freedom or climbing a mountain, these are risks the government allows citizens to take.

The United States allows this because it is a basic freedom to make choices. Wearing seat belts
must be one of these many choices. The governments purpose is not to control every aspect of
an individuals life. It must stay this way. People must be allowed to make their own decisions,
especially if they choose to wear or not wear a seat belt.
All of these issues and more-could be resolved by reversing laws requiring seat belts to
be worn in vehicles. The first step in fixing a problem is admitting there is one. As stated in the
United States Declaration of Independence, all citizens have the right for the Pursuit of
Happiness. This proves that American citizens have the right to not wear a seat belt if they
choose, and it brings them happiness. If seat belts were not mandatory, it would save the
American people over $8.8 billion annually (Benefits 1). This money would cover the money
received from tickets issued for not wearing seat belts. If the mandatory seat belt law was
abolished, it would allow a choice to wear a seat belt or not wear one. This would make it each
persons individual choice and decision if the risk is worth wearing a seat belt or not, but as an
American they would have the freedom to make that choice. Of the teens that died in crashes in
2012, approximately 55% of them were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash (Facts 1).
This shows that 45% of teens who died in car crashes were wearing seat belts when they died.
The hypocrisy of the government with the people would be less if this law did not exist. Mark
French, a former U.S. House Representative, agrees that seat belt laws are hypocritical. He says,
Why is a seat belt required to be worn to keep us safe in a car, but not on a bus? and also has
stated, Why are we allowed to rock climb, snow ski, water ski, hang glide, hunt, and eat candy
bars? Why is it not unlawful to refuse medical advice? (Montana 1). As stated above, without a
seat belt law, people would be happier and have more freedom than before. This would help
restore a concept of freedom for which America is founded and would allow for a happier nation

of people. If America would get rid of mandatory seat belt laws, it would return a freedom to the
American people and would also cover the loss of the ticket fees by saving gas and time.
Wearing seat belts must not be mandatory within the United States. Seat belts cause more
damage than good in some accidents. Laws on seat belts are not reasonable and are hypocritical.
Law enforcement across the country use seat belt laws as a source of revenue. Many progressives
believe it is the governments job to protect the people, and seat belt laws must be required for
the safety of the American public. However, requiring American citizens to wear seat belts goes
against the basic freedoms of the United States. These issues and more-could be resolved by
reversing laws requiring seat belts to be worn in vehicles within the United States. Isabelle would
be happy to know that no other innocent, gentle, and young human being would be killed by a
mandatory worn seat belt.

Works Cited
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