Imagine it's the beginning of summer. He was driving to his best friend’s house. As he got in the car, he did not buckle his seatbelt. The next thing he knew, he was lying in a hospital bed and couldn’t move anything below his waist. He’s lucky. He survived, some people would have died. Just that one simple decision could have changed his life forever. Wearing a seatbelt can change lives. I have one question why wouldn’t someone wear their seatbelt?

Some people think they are too cool for seat belt. Or if they wear them they considered themselves a rebel. Is someone really too cool for a wheelchair or a grave? Others think, oh it will never happen to me. Is someone really immune to getting hit by a car? The answer is no. So far the only cure is to wear a seatbelt. Last time I checked the doctor doesn’t have a vaccination for that. The numbers even show.

According to the NHTSA (national highway traffic safety administration) survey in 2009, 12,713 lives have been saved by people wearing seatbelts. They saw 81.8% of people are wearing seatbelts. There is still that 18.2% of people who aren’t wearing their seatbelt. People can also get fined for not wearing their seatbelt. The GHSA (Governs Highway Safety Association) states that, states with primary seat belt laws let officers give someone a ticket for not wearing their seat belt without any other traffic offense. There are 32 states in the US with this law. There is another seat belt law called a secondary. This is when a police officer can give someone a ticket for not wearing their seat belt if they have another traffic offense.

All of this relates to teens because we are the ones who don’t wear your seat belt. The NHTSA states that age group 16-24 and the lowest percentages for wearing seatbelts. All of these things I’ve mentioned can happen to anyone. The law sees no difference for teen and adults. Here’s a story to prove it:

It was a normal summer night. Jacob was driving to his house after being at a friend’s house. He wasn’t wearing his seatbelt. He fell asleep at the wheel. He lost control of the car and flipped it into a ditch. He was ejected from the car and onto the ground. He was rushed to the best hospital in Minnesota. At the hospital they diagnosed him paralyzed from the waist down. Jacob is my cousin. He is one of the strongest people I know. Even after all of this happened to him, he is still strong. He knows that life gets better. Jacob said, “That one decision could have changed my life.” This shows that just one decision can change a life forever.
It can happen to anyone at any time, and at any place. People can change their future. Just remember one thing. The clicking of a seat belt; is the sound of life or death.