In the wake of multiple safety recalls and investigations, General Motors announced that it will be rolling out a new feature that won’t let you start the car unless you’ve fastened your seat belt first. It’s an interesting and well-intentioned system, although I’m sure not everyone will be pleased with it. Some people are vehemently opposed to such restrictions which they believe turn this free country into a “nanny state.”
I witnessed such opposition at an urgent care clinic?in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I was sitting in the waiting room when two teenage girls came in. One complained to the other that she received a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. “It’s my choice,” she said. “Why should I have to wear a seat belt if I don’t want to?”
I wish I had spoken out about this and addressed the girls about why I was visiting the doctor that day. When I was 11 years old, I was thrown forward and bodyslammed against?the gravel driveway at my house. Why? I made a mistake and rammed my four-wheeler into a manure cart we had at our farm. I broke my arm and wrist, cracked my shoulder, bummed my knee, and broke my neck. Luckily, I was wearing my helmet. It was the only thing that saved my life.
I still feel the effects of the herniated disks in my neck. Fourteen years later, I still suffer from migraines and neck pain. I was at?the?urgent care facility, also visited by?those?young ladies, because the therapy and pain management techniques I’ve learned over the years did not work that day. Despite the agony I was enduring sitting in the waiting room, I thought to myself, “At least I’m still alive.”
The only reason I am still alive is because it wasn’t MY CHOICE to wear a helmet or not. My mother made that decision for me. This was a rule that was strictly enforced by an adult, who knew better than me. As (another) silly teenager, I would have preferred to not wear my helmet. After all, I was “careful.” Nothing feels better than having wind blow through your hair at 40 miles-per-hour. However, nothing feels worse than almost dying at age 11 after a 40 mile-per-hour crash landing on a pile of rocks.
Needless to say, I have been an advocate for safety gear ever since. I noticeably tense up every time I see a cyclist, a biker, or an ATV rider without a helmet. If I see you in a boat or a canoe, you better be wearing a lifejacket! If not, be prepared to get a tongue lashing from me. I don’t care who you are, how old you are, or how “careful” you are. If we’re in a car together you better be wearing a seat belt. Sure, I may sound like my mother, but my mother’s badgering saved my life. It might save yours one day too.
So, when I read about GM’s new feature that won’t let you start the car with an unfastened seat belt, I don’t see it as a “nanny-state” taking away your right to engage in stupid, risky behavior.
I think it’s wonderful. It takes a weight off of my shoulders. I don’t have to remind the world that it’s smart to be held back from flipping over your steering wheel,? somersaulting through tempered glass, and headbutting everything on the other side of your windshield wipers. Trust me, those few millimeters of plastic ribbon are far less restrictive and uncomfortable than three inches of plastic and sweat infused foam.
But hey, that’s just me. I think I’m worth protecting. I think my life is worth it. GM thinks my life is worth it. Lawmakers and law enforcement officers think my life is worth it. Do you think your life is worth it?
Do you seriously have to stop, ponder, and weigh the options? Is this really that much of a matter of choice?
