[ QUOTE ]
"Parental" laws are important because a large body of people do not have the knowledge, experience, or research to appropriately conclude that specific behaviors may not only harm themselves but others as well.

Seat belt laws and helmet laws save people huge amounts of money in reduced unpaid hospital bills and reduced utilization of medical facilities.

It's one thing to say "dumb people who don't use helmets deserve what they get". If that were the only reason to have helmet laws, then it essentially is a limitation of a person's rights. However it's another thing to say that *I* have to pay for their stupidity. Suddenly it becomes a societal issue and the laws deserve to be on the books.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll refer you to what I said in my last post about secondary consequences. And, if you're going to use the money/healthcare argument you have grounds to ban fast food, DIY, swimming, driving tired, hell driving at all. I also agree that it's offensive what you said about people being too stupid to look after themselves - some may be but it's our perogative as free autonomous human beings to make that choice.

And as an aside (because even if you're right all that still applies), do you actually know that seat belt laws are saving people money on healthcare bills or are you just guessing? You got any figures? Or is it another second-hand smoke, where somehow it's the biggest killer out there but nobody knows a goddamn single person who's died as a result of it.