The helmet laws, and the interplay between individual responsibility and freedom which they highlight, are a perfect vehicle for this discussion.
I remember an extended SI discussion on seat belt laws. This was and continues to be a particular hobby horse of mine. Even beyond the notion that the feds shouldn't have such nanny laws in the first place, that is.
Although my body fits within the standards for the NHTSA rules, I can't get a seatbelt to fit me. They always cross my body at the neck where they would surely kill me if activated. If they don't fit me, I know there are lots of people they must not fit because they're outside the standard--even shorter than I. It seems to me that the law should either require car manufacturers to fit everyone or allow people to exempt themselves in the interest of their own safety, assuming we're stuck with a seat belt law in the first place, that is.
I fought with the manufacturer for a couple of years. Their lawyers insist that no adjustment may be made to the standard installation. My problem is not their problem. And it's illegal to alter seatbelts outside manufacturer specifications. Some companies offer seat belt extensions, which work for me because they change the angle, but the design is such that it's impossible to get or even fabricate an extension to fit my car.
I have sent in formal comments to NHTSA and spoken to some of their folks to no avail.
Terrible law. But during that discussion I got a lot of grief for arguing that position. "Seatbelts save lives," yada yada. From a public health perspective they're right. From an individual safety perspective, it's a travesty.
Now, if "I broke the law to save my life" is not a good excuse, at least it's better than "I broke the law because I'm a great driver with a fine car so I needn't be bothered." (BTW, I'm an excellent driver with a high-end performance car, too. Rides so well that fifty-five seems like a crawl, at least it would if I ever drove that slowly. <g>) |
