Thursday, January 27, 2005

Life Savour

The excellent blogger Ann Althouse recently survived a terrible auto accident. People have been writing to her and sharing their stories, a lot of which have to do with the efficacy of seatbelts.

Sometimes, something is the right thing to do, even if the scolds think so, too. It used to be that when you crossed over the Delaware River bridges from Philadelphia, big signs said, "Welcome to New Jersey. Seat Belts Must be Worn."

Maybe it was an urban legend, but we used to tell the tale of some 8th grader who set up a stand on Black Horse Pike just past that big sign, advertising "Worn Seat Belts, $5."

My first job at a daily newspaper, I worked the police beat. My first week on the job, I was on the scene of an accident that killed two people. The car looked like you could drive it away, even with those two puncture holes in the windshield.

From that day, I never stopped to think about it. Every time I sit down, I buckle up. I don't like to ride with anyone who doesn't. Yeah, I saw some that nobody would have survived, seatbelt or not. Those are tragic, but not half as much as the ones that didn't have to end that way.