IL lege upholds our treasured right to be stupid

The Illinois Legislature has struck down a proposed bill that would have made it illegal to ride in the back of a pick-up truck. It failed in the Senate 23-33.

It's hard to know which side to come down on with this issue, as it pits personal freedom to do reckless and dangerous things against the role of government in protecting people from doing them.

But one question does arise. Why does government outlaw and/or tax certain risky or unhealthy behaviors and not others? Why should smokers and drinkers be taxed up the yazoo, all drivers be required to wear seat-belts, motorcycle riders required to wear a helmet, boaters be required to have floatation devices in their boats, yet people that risk serious injury by allowing people to ride in the bed of a pick-up are out of bounds?

As with many things, in certain situations, riding in the back of a truck is not all that dangerous, but in others, it's completely reckless and irresponsible. If you're allowing kids to ride sitting in the back of a truck while you drive at a moderate speed for a relatively short distance, that's one thing, but going down a bumpy rural road or highway at 60 mph with kids standing up in the bed of a truck is inexcusable.

I suppose laws against endangerment might take up the slack here, and allow individual cases where injury occurs to be judged on a case-by-case basis.