Wearing seat belt is not a personal matter

Dont take safety for granted -- belt up whenever youre in a car.

K. K. YONG’S letter, “Don’t be too hard on those who fail to use seat belt” (The Star, July 31), suggesting that lower penalties be imposed for not adhering to the seat belt law reflects a common belief that failure to wear a seat belt is a personal matter.

In my early career, I worked as a medical officer in an emergency department in Britain. This was when Britain did not have compulsory seat belt legislation. In fact, for a number of years after other countries including Malaysia implemented seat belt legislation, Britain had no such legislation because they held the stand that wearing a seat belt was a personal right.