"Cars for $200, Alex." "These Save Lives."

“What are seat belts?”

Jim Burke is a friend of the college; his son works in NYC, big enough job to rate being driven in a limo. He was in the back seat when they went around a bend at highway speed and into a stopped vehicle – from the back seat he went through the windshield and onto the expressway. Luckily, or amazingly, he survived.

I was in the treatment part of a hospital’s emergency room taking in the sights when two teens were brought in. Gender undetermined, even though they were pretty much in their birthday suits as they were being worked on. Bad car accident, no seat belts. Turned out to be girls, who I visited later and who would never have their before-crash beauty without a lot of plastic surgery.

Couple of people I know spun out yesterday on I-90 near Erie PA. They hit a snowstorm and, however it happened, suddenly found themselves going in various directions. In one spin, they rammed their front end into another car; after they jumped out of their vehicle, it got rammed in the back by a big double-bottom UPS truck. Luckily, or amazingly, they walked away. They were wearing seat belts and, possibly, had air bag deployment. At this point, they don’t remember a whole lot. But they are still around to talk about it.

I’ve heard just about every reason people can come up with for not wearing seat belts. I’ve even seen a guy who will put it across him, but not snap it shut. Maybe I should print this blog and send it to them. Seat belts save lives. Repeat it out loud.