I'll start by saying that seat belts should be worn by every driver and every passenger in the car. However, if you choose not to wear a seat belt, you are risking your own safety and no one else's.

Shouldn't it be up to the individual to take that risk and responsibility? When the law was first enacted, you could be fined for a seat belt infraction, only if you were stopped for a separate violation. Enforcement of the seat belt law was secondary. Today, you can be pulled over and cited just for not wearing a seat belt. This is a huge source of revenue for cities and local law enforcement agencies.

25 years ago, very few automobiles came equipped with seat belts, and if they were, those restraints were lap belts only. The shoulder harness was introduced much later. I managed to survive without wearing seatbelts for many years. Maybe I was just lucky, like millions of other people.