The misuse of law as a barrier to injury prevention

Injury prevention relies heavily on law to require or prohibit particular behaviors (e.g., seatbelt use laws or drunk driving laws) and to establish specific standards (e.g., Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards). But opponents of such laws often make effective use of distortion and misunderstanding of the law to hinder preventive efforts. Injury prevention advocates must be prepared to counter such disinformation. They can do so by (I) focusing on prevention goals, not laws, (2) openly discussing the law, (3) refusing to be defensive in legal arguments, (4) daring opponents to test their assertions in court, and (5) taking the political offensive on issues of legal rights.