A seat belt is one of the most important safety features of a car. It is built to save your life, however, if you don't wear that seat belt then it will not be able to help you if you are involved in a crash, of any kind. Yesterday, Oct. 30, there was a crash on the I-5 freeway, by the Colorado Street exit ramp, where the victim was propelled out of the vehicle, into the air and coming to rest on a sign above the freeway. This is just one-in-many incidents of crash victims being ejected from a moving vehicle because of not wearing a seat belt.

Seat belts only take a few seconds to buckle up. So why then do people not use them? Because of inconvenience? Or maybe because they think it's useless or they don't believe that it will be them that will get into the crash? A car crash could happen at any second; it only takes the blink of an eye to get into a car crash and if you're not wearing your seat belt then it will most likely end worse for you then if you were wearing one.

Car crashes and seat belt use doesn't affect only adults, but many young children as well. As the adults, we need to show the children, through example, that wearing a seat belt is not only necessary every time you get into a car, but also a cool thing to do. Children are continuously trying to fit in with everyone else their age and if no one else is wearing a seat belt then most likely they will not as well because, again, they are just trying to fit in and be liked instead of made fun of. This type of behavior has to change. Putting on a seat belt should be the first thing everyone, adults and children alike, should do. California Office of Traffic Safety indicates that almost 10,000 unbuckled passengers were killed in 2013. This number is way too high, however, tens of thousands were saved from serious crashes by wearing a seat belt.

If money fines aren't enough to convince people to buckle up then the how about death? Remember, your family needs you. Don't risk not buckling up because a car crash can happen anytime and you will not see it coming. Spending the extra few seconds to buckle up when you get into the car can save your life. Also, if you see someone in your vehicle not buckled up, don't move the car until they do so. They will thank you later. Stay proactive about seat belt use and don't let anyone pressure you into not wearing one. Your life will thank you when you walk away from a crash.