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Richard Stallman's Political Notes

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Wearing your seat belt in Australia

vendredi 15 septembre 2023 à 06:16

Australia fines drivers, even cancels their driving licenses, if occasionally a passenger does not wear a seat belt.

This is are a system of collective responsibility: "Hey you! Monitor those others near you, or we will punish you!" This attitude towards people is an injustice in general.

Since 1975 I have made a practice of wearing my seat belt. for safety, whether driving or riding as a passenger. But there is one exception: when I need to sleep. I have never found a way to sleep with a seat belt rubbing on my shoulder — it changes my posture. If I am compelled to wear the seat belt because the driver has been conscripted into forcing me, I will not be able to sleep and I may get sick.

So I regard that system as an injustice.

If the system permitted me to wear the lap belt but not the shoulder belt, I would certainly do that, since the lap belt does not stop me from sleeping. But nowadays they don't support that mode of use.