Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Suspect helmet laws and seat belt laws are there because of insurance company lobbys.
I'm sure you're right. If seatbelts and helmets mean fewer or less serious injuries, that means the insurance companies are paying out less, and therefore keeping more of our premiums. (I'll bet their research makes them favor cell phone restrictions, too, but that's another topic.)
As has been said above, if payouts are more, we all will pay more for insurance. The severely injured will also be more of a financial burden on the society, from their families on up the line.
This isn't a simple case of do-goodism suppressing the individual's rights. The individual's actions affect others, and not just financially. Think how tired first responders must get of picking somebody up with a stick and a spoon because they didn't buckle up or wear a helmet. Think of the impact on the victim's family, and the psychological burden on the other driver, at fault or not.
Looking only at the financial side, these laws are one example of where doing the right/smart/sensible thing is actually cheaper, too. Call it market forces at work. And all a person has to do to avoid a fine is put on a helmet or buckle a seatbelt--or keep paying fines as the cost of civil disobedience, and hope for the best when the wreck happens.
Suspect helmet laws and seat belt laws are there because of insurance company lobbys.
I'm sure you're right. If seatbelts and helmets mean fewer or less serious injuries, that means the insurance companies are paying out less, and therefore keeping more of our premiums. (I'll bet their research makes them favor cell phone restrictions, too, but that's another topic.)
As has been said above, if payouts are more, we all will pay more for insurance. The severely injured will also be more of a financial burden on the society, from their families on up the line.
This isn't a simple case of do-goodism suppressing the individual's rights. The individual's actions affect others, and not just financially. Think how tired first responders must get of picking somebody up with a stick and a spoon because they didn't buckle up or wear a helmet. Think of the impact on the victim's family, and the psychological burden on the other driver, at fault or not.
Looking only at the financial side, these laws are one example of where doing the right/smart/sensible thing is actually cheaper, too. Call it market forces at work. And all a person has to do to avoid a fine is put on a helmet or buckle a seatbelt--or keep paying fines as the cost of civil disobedience, and hope for the best when the wreck happens.
