Persuasive Essay on The Importance of Wearing a Seatbelt

Have you been wearing your seatbelts? Or have you been regarding them? People have different opinions on seat belts. Should seatbelts be imposed in all states? Evidence was provided for both sides of the opinions. Some people wear their seatbelts on the regular, and some people don’t wear them at all. Maybe if you don’t wear seatbelts orif you this might change your ideas on them. 

Wearing seat belts can save your life. It states in the text that the National Highway Traffic Administration simply said that seat belts save lives. For example, “... seat belts have saved 12,713 lives during 2009”(para.5). This shows that seat belts can help and will help save many lives. Seat belts just have a reputation of saving lives because seat belts have also been used for pilot safety. The cockpit of a plane had seat belts to keep the pilot from falling out of the plane. “Seat Belts were first used in aircraft to keep pilots from falling out of open cockpits”(para.2). Seat Belts were used for protection before they were installed in cars. It was American doctors that recommended seatbelts should be installed in cars. “ It was not until the 1920’s that American doctors began recommending that seat belts be installed in cars''(para.2).

Seat belt laws in New York weren’t passed until later in the year of 1984. “Early in 1984 less than 20 percent of New Yorkers wore seatbelts”(para.7). When the seat belt law was passed the percentage of New Yorkers wearing seatbelts grew from 20 percent to 60 percent. “After New York passed the nation’s first seatbelt law later that year, the number shot up to 60 percent”(para.8). After the New Yorkers knew that there was a law on wearing seatbelts they started to wear them. The people who cared about getting pulled over wore seatbelts. Even though New York was successful not all states were. “In California for example, seatbelt use increased from 20 percent to just 40 percent after the state passed the seat belt law in 1986”(para.8). The success of seat belt laws in New York was different from the success in California. New York had 60 percent of people wearing seat belts and California had 40 percent. Now in America the percentage of seat belt users is pretty high. “ In 2009, 84 percent of Americans wore seat belts”(para.9). Without the seatbelts laws people wouldn’t be wearing seatbelts and our numbers would be lower, but with bigger laws we can get to 100 percent of Americans wearing seatbelts.

People think differently about seatbelt laws than others might. Some people think seat belts don’t help our safety but they think that they are dangerous. “For example, people who claim that seat belts trap people in wrecked cars can point to only a handful of actual examples as proof”(para.11). According to the quote people who vote against seatbelt laws only have a few actual pieces of evidence to support their claim. People use the excuse that America is a free country. Furthermore, “...seat belt laws rob Americans of their freedom to live their lives as they see fit”(para.12). This is why people argue against seat belt laws. They argue because they don’t get their way. Seatbelts have their ups and downs to other people. Some people think that seatbelts interfere with their freedom and some think they save lives.

Simply put, seatbelts save lives. There have been many seatbelt laws, some were effective and some were not. Because of the information provided, seatbelts should be imposed in all states not just a few. Is wearing seatbelts a good thing or a bad thing? Do they help accidental injuries? Or is it a good way to get injured? Do seatbelts violate your human rights?