The government introduced a mandate and supporting legislation to ensure that everybody is required to wear a seatbelt when traveling in a car.  However, you are free not to use a seatbelt.

The reasons you can choose not to use a seatbelt could be to do with the actual research that shows that some people still die in car accidents despite wearing seatbelts, or it could be the actual research that shows that in certain accidents involving water submersion or vehicle  fire/explosion the seatbelt can be the cause of the death, or you could focus on the actual research that shows that people wearing seatbelts in car accidents do often suffer severe bruising and damage to their chest and internal organs.

You are free to listen to the head of the megachurch that tells you that you don’t need to wear a seatbelt because in a car accident God will save your life and that the seatbelt fabric includes the pubic hairs of Satan.

You are free to go into the depths of YouTube and watch the video from the bald dude who tells you he can prove that seat belts are a global conspiracy and they are the first step to control you. First the seat belt then the iron shackles!

You are free to say that it’s none of the government’s business and that you are the only person who can decide what is right and safe for you, and maybe that’s true but maybe the government is not trying to protect you, but the health system, and others.

You are free to say that it’s only to do with you and doesn’t affect anybody else. These will be comforting thoughts to you as your unrestrained body flies through the air and hits somebody else, or the hospital bills incurred and the surgery to others who need it deferred because of the need to treat your injuries, or the funeral that others need to organise.

You are free to claim that seat belts are experimental and new technology, despite them being successfully used and saving millions of lives.

You are free to do your own research and discover that group of 30 car safety experts who say that seatbelts don't save lives and that wearing one may affect your ability to have children. You can find their website by willfully ignoring the dissenting research and opinions of 99% of car safety experts worldwide who know that seatbelts save lives and are safe to use.

You are absolutely free not to obey the government mandate to wear a seatbelt and if you do you may lose your job because if you get caught not wearing a seatbelt you will incur demerit points on your driver’s license, and if you get enough demerit points on your driver’s license you will lose it, at which point you may lose your job if your job requires you to be a competent and certified driver.

Of course, choosing not to wear a seatbelt for any of these reasons means that you’re ignoring the science and research which clearly shows that millions of lives have been saved as a result of wearing seatbelts, but again this is your right and no one is taking away your freedom to believe what you want in spite of the science.

Again, you are free to choose to not wear a seatbelt despite the government mandate. Your freedom to choose has not been affected at all, only the consequences of the choices you make have been outlined.

So, to be clear, despite the mandate from the government, you are free to choose not to wear a seatbelt for whatever reasons you choose.

Wear a seatbelt!