The cost of buckling up

A recent ruling from the Indiana Supreme Court found that drivers of sport utility vehicles who choose to pay an additional $9 for truck license plates for their automobiles are exempt from the Indiana seat belt law. The court held that because SUVs are designed for the transportation of people and property, they can be classified in the same category as trucks, which were already exempt from the law. Consequently, an even greater portion of people on Indiana roads could now be driving without the safety of a seat belt.\nIn a state that views road safety as so important that police officers must enforce a law that requires people to perform the simple task of buckling up every time they drive, why would an exception need to be made for any kind of vehicle? \nIn theory, trucks and SUVs might seem safer than regular cars. Most are larger and sit higher from the ground. However, in practice this is not always the truth.\nMany trucks and SUVs are not much bigger than cars. Honda's popular CR-V has less mass than most Buicks, and small trucks like the Ford F-100 do not sit much higher off the road than the average car.\nIt is true that SUVs and trucks are designed to carry personal property, but cargo can still be transported in the trunk of any car. Besides, whether an automobile was designed for bearing cargo has no impact on how safe passengers will be in a crash. Why make a distinction at all between vehicles that carry cargo and ones that do not? After all, people are the most important cargo of all.\nPayload issues aside, questions often arise as to whether SUVs are actually safer than cars. Because of their high center of gravity, SUVs are more prone to rollover, so much so that a strong wind is actually capable of toppling them. When that happens, the passengers should be wearing a seat belt.\nMore perplexing than why truck owners are exempt from wearing a seat belt is the notion that an SUV owner would pay extra money to be able to opt out of the law as well. Is this legislation worth pandering over? Seemingly, $9 erases all principle for lawmakers.\nThe seat belt law is designed with the safety of Indiana motorists in mind. If it is meant to save lives, then why should any kind of vehicle be exempt? The state should not make special exceptions for certain kinds of automobiles just because they are a different shape and size.\nAny seat belt law that the state enacts should apply to all motorists or not be applied at all.