So long as they are aware of the dangers involved, adults should not be legally bound to use seatbelts.

There exist many laws that some may find to be more annoying than helpful, an example being the law making the drinking age in the United States 21. Another law some may find to be a nuisance is the law mandating seat belt usage for all passengers in a motor vehicle. Opponents of this law argue that adults should not be required to adhere to this law as long as they are aware of the dangers involved with refusing to do so. However, this statement is telling in itself - if you must be aware of the dangers of refraining from wearing a seatbelt, why would you risk it?

Many laws and rules that we follow on a daily basis can be described as "necessary evils." Nobody really wants to come to a complete stop at a stop sign at a deserted four-way intersection, but that is the law. Nobody really wants to stay overtime at work to finish a project, but that is how one defines himself as a hard-worker in his company. These common annoyances are necessary to establish order amongst everyone. As for seatbelts, many people may find them to be uncomfortable and restricting and thus do not want to be scolded by the law for failing to use them. However, requiring seatbelts only produces more benefits than harm. If Sally were to wear her seatbelt on her drive to the supermarket and does not get into a car accident, then she only lost a minor amount of comfort by wearing her seatbelt the whole ride there. On the other hand, if Sally were to wear her seatbelt during this same commute but got struck by a truck, the seatbelt would function to prevent her from flying through her windshield and Sally would greatly increase her odds of surviving the accident. The latter example is a matter of life versus death, and when the dangers of refusing to wear a seatbelt dip into potential death, why would one risk death for such an easy solution? Of course, the argument is precisely against this; that if one understands the high risk he is taking by not wearing a seatbelt, that he should not be required to do so. He may have his reasons; maybe he finds the seatbelt to sit uncomfortably on his shoulder. Though one should not be forced into doing anything he does not want to do, if such a task could save one's life, it seems obvious that one should perform said task.

Furthermore, an event such as a car accident is nearly impossible to predict, and at best can only be predicted mere seconds before the event occurs: a time frame which is much too late to prepare for. Although the odds of a car accident are not necessarily high, they are not necessarily low either. Most individuals will experience a car accident at some point in thier lives, although the severity of these accidents greatly vary. However, studies have shown that wearing a seatbelt reduces the odds of death by a statistically significant factor. Given that one can experience a car accident any time they ride in a car, and given that one of the possible outcomes of a car accident is death, it only makes sense to wear a seatbelt everytime one travels.

Regardless of harm to the individual, refusing to wear one's seatbelt can cause great harm to the other occupants in the vehicle in the event of a serious accident. When a car is struck, everything and everyone not buckled or secure becomes a projectile object. Thus, occupants in the car who are unbuckled essentially become 150 pound meat sacks. Combined with being thrown at speeds upwards of 100 miles per hour, these unbuckled individuals can cause serious injury and even death to other occupants in the car if they were to strike them in the midst of a car accident. If not for oneself, one should at least consider wearing a seatbelt to save the lives of the other occupants in the car.

It appears that opponents of wearing seatbelts want to weigh their risks with their rewards. They may understand the high risk associated with refraining from wearing their seatbelts, but also may find the reward of not doing so even better. However, with the high risk being death, and the reward being comfort, it seems blatantly obvious as to what opponents should do.