I love my car. I drive a 2005 Toyota Corolla complete with 6-speed stick shift, anti-lock breaks and a sunroof.
There's not much to complain about my vehicle, except one thing.
If the driver or front passenger does not put on their seatbelt, they are greeted with a wave of high-pitched beeps that speed up over time for about an entire minute before finally giving up.
It's a feature I find very annoying because even cruising in parking lots at 3 miles per hour warrants this barrage of audible harassment. It's a feeling of distrust between driver and vehicle that's more annoying than anything.
Of course, I know why the car beeps at me. It's programmed to painfully remind me of one of the laws of the road: Always wear your seatbelt. But is the fact that it's a law really going to save any lives?
And this goes beyond seatbelts. People make choices every day to take drugs, not wear helmets on motorcycles and commit suicide to name a few, and these are all considered illegal.
The reason I bring this up is because I don't know why we need laws like these.
Though it would be nice if everyone wore their seatbelts, I would hate to think the reason someone would wear their seatbelt is because they are worried about punishment from the law.
Sure, a seatbelt can save a life in a car accident and outlawing drugs can prevent people from losing themselves in a dreamlike world. But what about the other ways we can self-destruct?
What about our health? The movie "Fast Food Nation" showed us that a steady diet of cheeseburgers and shakes can deteriorate our bodies in a matter of weeks.
Yet, there are no laws to prevent the overeating of cheeseburgers. Obesity is rampant here in America and it's deteriorating peoples' bodies one combo meal at a time.
All these sorts of laws send the same message: You are not smart enough to make what we think is the right decision, so we are going to make it for you.
If they repealed the seatbelt law, you can bet I'm still wearing mine.
I don't need a law to tell me to do it. Instead of "Buckle up, it's the law" how about "Buckle up, IT SAVES LIVES."
It's only a matter of time until the government legalizes wire-tapping, enforces censorship and begins searches without consent because "WE think it's the right decision."
That, my friends, is tyranny.
These laws are essentially the same as the beeps my car makes when cruising in the parking lot.
They're intrusive, unnecessary, and asinine. They could also lead the way to laws that violate some of our most basic rights. People should be making decisions based on what universally makes sense for the well-being of everyone and not base it on what's on a piece of paper.
Greg is a broadcast journalism senior. E-mail him at: gralbovs@asu.edu.
