Final answer:
Under the GDL rule, all passengers in the car are required to wear seat belts. The use of seat belts reduces injury risk and associated societal costs by ensuring individuals are safely restrained during collisions. Such safety laws are crucial for public welfare.
Step-by-step explanation:
Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Rule and Seat Belt Use
Under the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) rule, all passengers in the car must wear seat belts for safety. The GDL rule is designed to increase protection for inexperienced drivers and passengers. Seat belts are critical safety features that restrain individuals during a collision, thereby reducing the risk of injury or death. For example, in scenarios where a car crashes into a tree, seat belts exert force that brings an individual to a halt gently compared to a sudden stop without restraints, distributing the abrupt deceleration forces over a larger area of the body.
Laws mandating the use of seat belts help protect society by minimizing the impact of accidents on public health and welfare. Enforcing the usage of seat belts also has a societal benefit as it lowers the long-term medical and physical care costs that might arise from injuries sustained in accidents without seat belt protection. The importance of these restraints is underscored by cases where calculating the force the seat belt exerts demonstrates their role in lessening the injuries during abrupt stops.