Connecting moms in Polk County, Fla.

Teenager Auto Safety: Ingrain Seat Belt Habit Early

I'm glad I saw this because I hope it can become far reaching and a reminder to parents to chat with their older children about wearing seat belts.

I've said before I live near the high school in Bartow. I also have a daughter that attends Spessard Holland Elementary. I leave to pick her up as the high school is letting out. Essentially I'm driving along beside many teens, a lot of them it seems to be going "my way".

To my point, last week I saw a teenager with two passengers in an open air jeep (no doors) and you could easily see into the vehicle. In the backseat was a young lady I recognized, she's my son's age, not wearing a seat belt. It really affected me to see this. When I was in high school there was a teen I knew that died in an accident, thrown from a Jeep from not wearing their seatbelt.

The instance of this young lady is not the first I've seen and also it has happened to me in my car. I have teens, friends of my children, hop in my car when I'm carpooling or giving rides to a location and they do not automatically buckle-up, I have to tell them to.

I was tempted to tell the mother of this young lady I saw that her daughter was not buckled in. Then I thought, she may not feel the same way I do about it and may not appreciate it. I will say, if anyone sees any of my children unbuckled I want to be the first person you let know. It is very important to me.

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Permalink Reply by Alicia (Alsan) on October 27, 2011 at 2:34pm

I was 16 and had my liscense all of 3 months when I fell asleep driving home from my after school job and wrapped my parents' car around a tree. The officer that responded told my parents he'd never been to an accident scene with that much damage and the driver was unhurt, he also said if I didn't have my seat belt on I would've gone through the windshield without question. Amazingly I wasn't hurt, just a bit sore and I picked glass out of my hair for days. The car was totalled. I've kept pictures of that little wrecked car all these years as a reminder of just how lucky I was. I'll share those pics with my kids when they're teenagers too. My poor twin brother who was recovering from knee surgery never even got to drive that new car we were supposed to share and my parents decided instead of buying us a new one they'd pass down one of their older cars and get themselves a new one instead!

Now on the flip side and of no help to this topic, when we were 18 my brother's best friend was riding in the back seat of a car WITH his seat belt on, just a lap belt. Another car came around a corner too fast and hit them and our friend who survived the initial impact died before reaching the hospital. I remember hearing the lap belt had caused internal injuries, whether it was worn properly or not I don't know. And I totally feel seat belts save many more lives than they take, but I always think of Aaron when my kids sit in the back and whenever possible have them use the shoulder belts.

Part of my beef with buses that have seat belts but kids aren't made to use them is we spend so much time teaching them seat belts are non negiotable and keep them safe but then for 12 years they don't have to wear them on the bus. It sends a contradictory message. I know there's arguements about higher backed seats and all that, but it undoes years of teaching (not to mention roll overs are still a concern). When one of my boys started kindergarten last year he was SO UPSET those first few days because he can't do the seat belt himself so he rode without one. He knew I'd always told him he had to always wear one and he didn't feel safe without it, but he couldn't do it himself, bus drivers aren't allowed to get out of their seats to help and of course his brothers aren't that nice. He used to expect automatically to buckle up but now he tries to argue it with me - why does he have to sit in a booster seat, why can't he sit without buckles. I drive a 12 seater van so it has a bit of a bus feel to him, I've just told him that school buses have different rules but ANY other vehicle he has to be buckled and that the booster keeps him safest. (And too bad lol)

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Permalink Reply by Shawn Arnold on October 28, 2011 at 12:47pm

Alicia I remember reading your wreck story before. It no less gives me chills to view it again. You being lucky doesn't even cut it.

And about your little one not wearing a belt on the bus and realizing the "How comes?" (How come I have to in our car but no the bus?), I know I would be frustrated by this scenario. It's the perfect example of going against the grain of what we teach them. Sigh! I wouldn't want to be part of that mental tug-of-war. Good luck with that, lol! It does make me sad to hear his feeling of not feeling safe when first riding the bus without a belt. :(