Why seatbelts are a good thing

Okay, we all know that seatbelts save lives. It's nothing new. If they did nothing, racing drivers would wear them, and there wouldn't be mountains of research out there proving their effectiveness. Yet, there are those out there that just refuse to wear them, despite whatever laws may be in place. Such is the story of one anti-seatbelt law advocate, who in September 2004 wrote an article for the Daily Nebraskan arguing against mandatory seatbelt laws. His argument was that the government should not regulate every facet of life, no matter the consequences, which I think a lot of people would agree with. However, when there is that whole lot of evidence, laws or not, I'm just thinking it might be a good idea to go ahead and wear that seatbelt. Anyway, now comes the ironic part. The author of that article, a 21 year-old Derek Kieper, was killed on earlier this month in a traffic accident in which he was thrown from the vehicle. Exactly the type of accident that a seatbelt prevents. Sometimes truth can be stranger than fiction.