Buckle Up, Kids. It's a Life or Death Matter

I would 100,000,000 times rather write something light and humorous that would bring a chuckle than have to tackle this topic. But, it's like cleaning toilets. Sometimes you have to get in there and tackle the dirty work, or in this case give a lecture to super human, invincible teenagers.... like they're going to listen. But it's worth a try.

This morning, while scanning the press releases on PR Newswire, I ran across something that bothered me greatly. A study released today by Meharry Medical College claims that teenagers aren't buckling up for safety like they should be. 59% of teens always wear seatbelts when driving; but only 42% of them click the buckle when riding as passengers.

I can hear one of my homeroom students from last year whining "what's the big deal? I never wear one." (when they had to fill out their seatbelt surveys) Weeelllllllll, let me tell ya. Accidents in motor vehicles are the leading cause of teen deaths in the U.S. accounting for nearly 5,000 each year. The LEADING CAUSE of DEATH for TEENS. Yes, I'm shouting. In about 40% of those accidents, the passenger is killed.

But what do seatbelts have to do with that? By merely reaching up, grabbing the buckle, pulling it across your lap and clicking it into place, you reduce your risk of dying in an auto accident by 50%. That's half for those who, like me, aren't math majors. So, if everyone wears a seatbelt, we could potentially cut the number of teen deaths down to 2,500 each year. I would come up with brilliant statistics with the other numbers too, but as I said, I'm not a math major. Heck, I'm not even a math passer in most classes. But, that's not the issue here.

I know the arguments against using seatbelts.
1) "They're too confining." What are you trying to do? Jumping Jacks from the front to backseats? Yes, if you're using your vehicle as a gym, perhaps seatbelts are a little confining, but if you're just sitting there watching scenery pass, you don't need to break into a sweat.
2) "The strap rubs against my neck." They make strap covers now, or you can put it under your collar.
3) "It doesn't look cool." How does being dead look?
4) "I always forget to put it on." Yet you remember to plug in your phone and your iPod, find the right song and turn it to the right volume all while continuing the three texting conversations you've been having for the past hour. I think you can manage adding one more step to the routine. Heck with the gadgetry we drive around using these days, wearing a seatbelt is that much more important.
5) "I'm a good driver. I'll never be in a crash." The thing that breaks my heart because I lost my brother this way, is that good drivers are hit and killed by bad drivers and even distracted drivers everyday. It only takes a split second for someone you love to be taken away from you forever.

These are just a few of my thoughts on the matter. As you can tell, it's one I'm passionate about.
To read the entire news release and recommendations for increasing seatbelt usage, visit the following link.
http://www.prnewswire.com/yahoo/