Most of us have had to endure life experiences that are painful, but many learn lessons from those experiences that change our behavior and our lives for the better. Unfortunately, some of us never get that second chance, or even worse, we don’t learn from our mistakes and have to endure painful life experiences that can also be tragic. So it is with seatbelts. Consider this one person’s testimonial about seatbelt use.
When I first learned to drive, seatbelts had been installed in cars and trucks but I can honestly say that I can’t remember wearing my seatbelt very often. That is until a day back in May of 1991. I was driving alone and another driver, who was at fault, turned their car directly in front of me. Thankfully, both vehicles were not going fast. Nonetheless, I was thrown into the windshield because I was not wearing a seatbelt. After a hospital visit and crowns to replace the teeth that were smashed on the windshield, I had learned a very painful lesson.
In the nearly 20 years since that accident, my family has had to endure three other serious car accidents of note, all the fault of the other drivers, where seatbelts have literally kept our family healthy and alive. Each accident involved the other driver cutting in front of our vehicles. Each accident resulted in our vehicle being “totaled”, and most importantly, each one of my family members involved in those accidents walked away unhurt. They walked away unhurt from those accidents for just one reason – each was wearing a seatbelt. We got our second chance and used it again and again and it’s made a difference in our lives.
Yes, seatbelts are required to be worn by the company. They’re even required by law. Yet many of us still don’t wear them. Furthermore, insurance statistics state that the two groups “guilty” of not wearing their seatbelts most often are
1. Drivers between the ages of 18 to 24, and
2. Drivers of pick-up trucks; (And what kind of vehicle do many construction workers drive?
You guessed it – pick-up trucks!)
We can never “choose” when a vehicle accident will occur, so you’ll never know when you’ll really need that seatbelt. If you’re one that still doesn’t wear your seatbelt, your second chance starts now. Wear your seatbelt each and every time you drive. Tell everyone in your family to wear their seatbelts. It can make all the difference in the world.