The recent debate in New Hampshire, the only US state that does not have a mandatory seatbelt law, about enacting an adult seatbelt legislation has become a matter of public domain.

Basically, the opponents see it as an infringement of personal liberty, rekindling a debate that has been common to many other issues, such as the ban on smoking, or infectious disease control.1 2

The question is what power a state should have to restrict the autonomy of individuals. …