A recent article in The Morning Star ( “Motorist racks up 28 infractions”) inadvertently raises a bigger issue than the one headlined. The real story is the ongoing meddling in people’s private affairs by the RCMP.
Whether or not I choose to wear a seatbelt is a decision that shouldn’t involve police or peace officers.
The only person, or body of persons, that should be concerned with my choice not to wear one is my vehicle insurer.
Should I choose to drive without choosing to buckle up and should I be involved in an accident, either because of my actions or as a result of someone else’s, and assuming that such choice requires a penalty, then my vehicle insurer is the only one that should be able to levy such a punishment.
The system, as it stands, is flawed in many aspects.
It is patently obvious to anybody and everybody that the $167 penalty for not wearing your seatbelt is nothing more than a convenient and easy money grab.
It also obvious, in both my case and in that of the subject of the above-referenced headline, that the intentional, coffer-filling engaged in by the B.C. government is neither a deterrent nor an education.
My life has been saved more than once by not wearing a seatbelt. I can’t speak for Mr. 28, but I would like to heartily congratulate him for standing up for that in which he believes.
Mark Levey
Enderby
