Massachusetts initially passed a law making seat belt usage mandatory. The law was changed and now, if you’re stopped for any reason, if you’re not wearing a seat belt they can ticket you for that as well, but they can’t pull you over solely due to no seat belt.

This week they tried to change it to make it mandatory. Is this right? Isn’t seat belt usage a personal choice? I don’t use a seat belt. Now, I rarely drive on the highway, am usually on back roads and don’t go that fast. Accidents can happen at 20 mph but you don’t often read of someone being ejected from a car at that speed and dying.

Also, being a fat chick, I find seat belts very uncomfortable.

While it appeared to be a sure thing that this would pass, several legislators changed their mind and were against it, and it didn’t go through. Most said they listened to the voters but also many said that police officers simply can’t tell if someone is wearing a seat belt when they fly by.

C’mon, our police departments are struggling due to budget cuts as it is, are we going to take valuable public servants off the streets where they can make a difference and have them play hall monitor, watching for people without a seat belt? Won’t this cause an increase in racial profiling and allegations of police brutality?

It’s my choice to wear a seat belt or not. While statistics say lives are saved by wearing them, the stats also show people who don’t smoke live longer with less illness. Hey, let’s make a law and outlaw smoking. Oh wait, fat people don’t live as long and have more health issues so hey, let’s outlaw Twinkies.

Personal responsibility is a powerful thing.