Whenever I get into my car, or anyone’s car for that matter, the first thing I do is put my seat belt on.
Pull, click, done. It takes literally two seconds, and it is not hard to do.
For me, I hardly ever even remember it’s on most of the time. It might even feel strange to not have it on. If I could, I would even strap my dogs in.
Not everyone agrees though. Countless times I have invited people into my car to realize within a few minutes that their seatbelts aren’t on. This infuriates me.
I just don’t understand the reasoning behind not wearing them. It’s stupid, really. People fly through windshields and slam their foreheads into chair backs all the time from not wearing them. Are you really going to take that risk to severely injure or even kill yourself?
Fortunately, the new Honda CRV has a seatbelt detector that triggers a beeping alarm function if a passenger doesn’t have their seatbelt on. Most cars manufactured today probably have them. For this I am grateful because no one is dying on my watch.
Typically the passengers will oblige and put theirs on when I yell at them the first time.  Some say they honestly forget to do it.
Others will complain, throwing out excuses like “We’re only going right down the road” or “They’re uncomfortable.”
Yeah, too bad the majority of accidents occur within 25 miles of home.
And OK, being slightly constricting, it might not be the most comfortable safety measure out there, but then again, neither is a few days in a hospital or a lifetime of pain that could have been prevented or reduced simply by wearing the darn thing.
So to that garbage I angrily respond: It doesn’t matter!
I could hit something or someone of they could hit me dead on at any second, and you damn well better have that seatbelt on and praying to make it out unscathed or at least alive.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, seatbelts are the single most effective safety step you can take to prevent death or injury. From 2004 to 2008, they have saved more than 75,000 lives.
With the mandatory use regulation in effect since 1968, all driving adults should be accepting of it by now. You definitely could’ve gotten away with the “I forgot” excuse 45 years ago when the law had just gone into effect, but certainly not today.
There used to be little to no guidelines for road safety. At one point cars didn’t even have seatbelts, and when they did first start to become popular they existed as a simple single strap across the waist. This led to the two-point belt and finally the three-point like we have today.
Think of how many people were on the road back in the early to mid-1900s compared to today. And the speed capabilities of cars today are many times more dangerous- so dangerous that they’ll kill you on impact if you’re not careful, mindful and defensive as a driver.
So I remain stuck here wondering what the dilemma is that causes individuals to ignore the seatbelt upon stepping into a vehicle. I’ve asked around but haven’t really gotten any legitimate answers, probably because there are none. When it comes down to it, everyone who is objecting to seat belts knows they’re wrong anyway.
Spare the driver and yourself from the complaints. Buckle up.