Masks, COVID-19 and traffic fatalities

As an add-on to Pastor Tim Bayly's posts on Facebook and Twitter about face masks and traffic safety:

Traffic fatalities per 100,000 are way down over the last 40 years because of all of the safety regulations he mentioned. Not only that, but traffic deaths are down in absolute numbers too, which is astonishing given how many more miles we drive now and how many more cars are on the road compared to 1980. Safety regulations work, and are not an overly burdensome imposition on our liberty.

As I recall, many people were very strongly opposed to seat belt mandates. Not quite to the degree as masks, though. I do not recall anyone saying seat belts were "statist idolatry" either.