Do you want to start a spirited argument at your next party? Start a discussion about seat belts. Your guests will divide (not evenly) into several groups on the issue, and you might have to break up the exchange of ideas in order to get everyone home by dawn.

When people get together and talk about seat belts, they naturally fall into several categories, some of which are easily identified:

"I've never worn a seat belt and I never will and I'm still here." That's the battle cry of the rugged individualists of the crowd. Real men don't wear seat belts -- they want to be "thrown clear" of the accident and "walk away" to the nearest telephone. They will tell you that statistics can prove anything and they usually will relate a story about a friend who totaled his car and didn't get a scratch.

"But what if the car catches on fire or blows up -- I don't want to be trapped." Those who predict this circumstance probably have been watching too much television. Exploding cars show up on television more often than a guest host on the Tonight Show. If you believe what you see on the tube, most cars will become a ball of fire if you slam the door too hard.

Statistically, exploding cars are rare. And belted, conscious drivers have a good escape record.

"Seat belts are too tight, too confining. They are just uncomfortable. They wrinkle my clothes." Anyone who thinks seat belts are confining has never been in a body cast for a few weeks.

"They take too long to put on." You will hear this explanation from the same people who spend five minutes adjusting the tilt-wheel, electric seats, and the radio before leaving the driveway.

"I wear my seat belts every time I get into the car." These know-it-alls probably can quote the pro-belt statistics and give you documented examples of how belts have prevented serious injuries in serious accidents. If you press them for answers, they might reveal that they drive with both hands on the wheel, keep their tires inflated to proper pressure, and unplug the iron before leaving on vacation.

"I always wear my seat belt when I'm on vacation." Here is someone who puts 12,000 miles per year on his car and then wears seat belts on the way to Disneyland. For five or six days out of the year he is strapped in and secure. For the other 360 days in the year, his fate is cast into the wind.

"When I see that I'm going to be in a collision, I can put my hands out and catch myself." Here's a guy who thinks he's pretty strong and his tactic probably will work as long as his car just rolls into a light post in the supermarket parking lot and he has plenty of warning.

But when he talks about "catching himself " he forgets about something we have all done on a bicycle -- going over the handlebars. Broken arms, sprained wrists, stitches in the chin, and gravel in the palms of the hands -- all the result of "catching myself."

So why discuss religion or politics at your next party? Don't settle for the usual patter about the weather or football. Give your guest something to remember. Let them talk about safety belts.