Of course, John is correct that life is not fair. Helmet laws are a good example of this truism, since the underlying motivations are dislike of bikers and tax revenue. It's also true that we need to pick our battles and focus on the issues that are really important to us - ensuring the availablility of 200 MPH sportbikes for example. So, should we just accept this government interference and move on? I don't think so.
Helmet laws are not the only example of vehicular oppression in our society. Seat belt laws and unnaturally low speed limits are also oppressive. These laws have one thing in common - the State has a financial incentive to oppress you. As we all know, money is the root of all evil. It can even corrupt the legal system by incenting legislators to outlaw perfectly rational and ethical behaviors. Although it may be prudent to wear a helmet, buckel up or drive slowly, it is not unethical to forgo these things. Which is precisely why these laws generate so much tax revenue - people will continue to make rational choices, even if its illegal to do so. No just society should seek to outlaw reasonable, ethical behavior.
When you get in your car in the morning to drive to work, what is the probability that you will have an accident on that particular trip? Infintesimal. If you are motivated to buckel up by fear of an accident, then you are motivated by an irrational fear. The technical term for this is "Phobia". Forgoing the seat belt is a perfectly rational, ethical and healthy choice. Your Mom may insist that you put on your seatbelt, because mothers are supposed to be motivated by irrational fears. However, in a free society, the Government is not your mother.
Of course, over your life time, the probability of an accident may be quite high. However, confusing statistics and ethics is one of the greatest falicies in our society. When considering death or injury statitistics always remember one overriding truth - there is a 100% probability that you will die. Accident statistics are not about death, only about the timing of death. How you live is at least as important as how long you live. A life without risk is often a pretty dull life. A free society grants individuals the right to make choices about risk, as long as they are not placing others is jeopardy.
Finally, I wanted to address notion of "the cost to society" of irresponsible behavior. If our goal is to reduce this cost, then a rational society would go through the following process:
- List all irresponsible behaviors and their cost
- Rank them by the total cost to society
- Use society's limited resources to eliminate the most costly behaviors.
- Ignore the behaviors at the bottom of the list.
If we did this, the costs of irresponsible bikers would rank near the bottom of the list. Obesity, drinking, smoking and other irresponsible behaviours enjoyed by the vast majority of Americans would rank near the top. If we really want to reduce medical costs, let's outlaw fat people. That's were you will get the biggest bang for the buck.
Should we oppose helmet laws? Sure. We have to draw the line somewhere. If we don't fight them over helmets, they may come back for our Big Macs.