<p>I do not usually start threads of this nature, but I feel compelled to do so now. My message is not a new one, but apparently it cannot be repeated too often.</p>
<p>A wonderful college-age young man of our family’s acquaintance died this weekend in a car accident. The accident was apparently not extremely severe, but he was thrown from the car and died instantly. The investigating police officer who is quoted in the newspaper gave the opinion that he would have survived the accident if he had been wearing a seatbelt. </p>
<p>Please emphasize to your kids (and anyone else you know) that they MUST use a seatbelt whenever they are the driver or the passenger in a moving vehicle. Just taking a few seconds to do this one simple thing can save your life. The young man who died had his whole life ahead of him, and now, instead, there is heartbroken family, friends, and community.</p>
<p>I’m sorry to hear about that. It’s just awful.</p>
<p>I used to sit in my kids’ HS parking lot (before they had driver’s licenses) and watch all the parents pulling in and out without their seatbelts on. And we wonder why the kids don’t use them. </p>
<p>I don’t know, I can’t even back out of my driveway without my seatbelt on!</p>
<p>My kids never get into a car without putting their seatbelt on, as a driver or passenger. It has always been second nature since they were little kids to buckle up! They knew the car wouldn’t move from the parking space without everyone buckled and they still do the same. I remember a friend of my daughter’s was in the car with us, and I just assumed she was buckled. My daughter yelled, “stop” when I started driving; she said friend didn’t have her seatbelt on so we couldn’t leave yet! I was amazed that this childs parents hadn’t required seatbelts. To this day I am not sure this girl always wears her seatbelt.</p>
<p>One of my best friends from college died at the age of 28 in an accident because of severe injuries caused when her torso smashed into the steering wheel – something that wouldn’t have happened if she had been wearing a seat belt.</p>
<p>To my kids, not wearing a seat belt is unthinkable. They may not always say thank you, or remember to lock the door or brush their teeth, but they have always known that seat belts must be worn every time. </p>
<p>It’s amazing how many other people’s kids don’t wear seat belts.</p>
<p>What an awful story! I’m so sorry for the young man’s family. </p>
<p>I’m also a stickler about seat belts; everyone in the car wears one at all times. My kids wouldn’t dream of arguing or forgetting. </p>
<p>What drives me crazy are the parents who don’t use booster seats for their kids between 4 and 8. Some of these parents are doctors, and you’d think they’d know better. When my older son was in that age range, he was the only one in a booster. I even asked the school nurse to publish something about this in the school newsletter, and she did, but it seemed to have no effect. </p>
<p>I also check other kids’ seatbelts when they are riding in my car, and I teach them how to position them (low and tight across the hips; shoulder part of the belt never behind them).</p>
<p>I am all for those cars that won’t start till the seatbelt is buckled. No matter what you say to them, you can never be sure what they do when you are not watching. Some friends of ours had a real scare a few years ago when they thought their child was in a car accident (he was supposed to have gotten a ride from that driver, but changed plans and it was another student who was in the wreck). The passenger did not put on his seat belt and went through the windshield and was pretty badly injured. My friend knew this young man since nursery school and had carpooled with his family for ages. She told me that he religiously used the seat belt and his mother was a stickler about it all of his life. But that night, he did not buckle up for whatever reason. He has fortunately recovered, but, oh, what it did to his family and him.<br>
I can’t count how many times, I have seen kids crammed in a car, sometimes two in that front bucket seat, and of course no seatbelt. And those kids have been told and taught, I am sure. Mine are really good in my car, and from what I have seen but I wouldn’t bet a dime that they are 100%.</p>
<p>I am <em>so</em> very sorry for the loss of this precious young man on the brink of adulthood and the exciting life that awaited him. {{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}} to you and your family as you cope with this loss. My thoughts and prayers are with the young man’s family and friends as they struggle to come to terms with this senseless tragedy.</p>
<p>cpt is right. It only takes ONE forgetful moment to drastically alter the existences of so many. I remind my older kids to buckle up each time they get in the car to drive (they are <em>really</em> good about seatbelts), but what if they forget, even once? I am just hoping that they don’t…</p>
<p>I was guilty of insisting everyone in my car wore a seatbelt, several years ago wearing seatbelts made a difference for an inlaw, my insistance was finally understood. Bike helmets are another issue, a childhood neighbor died as an older teenager years ago in a bicycle meets car on city streets accident, her head injury could have been prevented. Also, keep that seat belt on, an aunt (passenger) took hers off to attend to the dog in the back seat at the same moment someone missed the stop sign on an intersecting highway, she had severe injuries.</p>
<p>Same thing happened this weekend to one of my D’s friends in HS. 17 year old young man, thrown from the car, not wearing a seatbelt and killed. Just to add to the tragedy the driver was apparently drinking. Our whole community is devastated.</p>
<p>My sympathies to your D on the loss of her friend. What a tragedy all the way around…for the young man, his family, his friends, and the entire community. ~berurah</p>
<p>We lived through this two years ago when we lost my D’s teammate. She was wearing a seatbelt but the driver was too young to have so many kids in the car, was distracted, wasn’t used to such a big vehicle, and overcorrected. It is such a sad thing to lose a promising young person so unnecessarily. And for the families and friends to have their worlds turned upside down and hollowed out.</p>
<p>Such a tragedy for everyone involved. Seat belt use is, unfortunately, not near 100% in most places. There are still 25 states which do not have primary seatbelt laws. It boggles the mind.</p>