We open the doors and get into the car. The four of us, all talking at once, laughing, and

having a great time, I buckle my seat belt and look to see if every one else is buckled in safely.

And they aren't of course not! Every Time we get into the car, I ask my friends, "Do you have

your seat belt on?". I bug them to put their seat belts on, but sometimes they just don't listen to

me. Its it really that hard to take ten extra seconds to put your seat belt on? Gosh, those ten

extra seconds could wind up saving your life one day.

Sometimes, people just don't realise what risk they put themselves at when they choose
not to put on their seat belt. You worry about getting diseases, and how deadly getting sick can
be. Yet, no one thinks about the things that they are doing that put themselves in danger. In the
year 2004, 936,923 people died from major cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases
are normally caused by smoking and chewing tobacco. You choose to smoke, which takes
years and years to kill you. But why can't you take ten extra seconds for your seat belt?

There are a lot of people who make the choice not to wear a seat belt when they are
driving in a car. In the year 2007, 69% of people who died in car crashes were not wearing
their seat belts. That 69% of people all had families and friends who most likely were
devastated, when their loved one was killed in a car accident just because they weren't wearing
their seat belts. Those people who have experienced some one's death have learned the lesson
to wear it. But not everyone will be safe, until they experience something life changing.

Driving in a car without a seat belt, is not only dangerous, but it can be against the law.
In states like Hawaii, New York, Texas, and California, it is a primary law. Which means that
you can be pulled over for not wearing your seat, belt whether you are breaking any other laws
or not. In some started wearing your seat belt is a secondary law. If you were to be pulled over,
for something like speeding. And the officer saw your seat belt was off, they could add that to
your ticket. In Nevada, Ohio, Utah, and other starts not wearing your seat belt is a secondary
law.

A good amount of people blame this issue on education. Starting as a little kid, you're
normally taught to wear your seat belt. You don't really see many little kids with no seat belt. It's
the older people who feel like they are invincible. As you grow older, you still should be
reminded so the habit sticks. Especially males from the age of 16-25 seem to not wear their
seat belt. They don't feel like anything bad could happen to them. But they are very wrong;
something could go wrong at any given moment.

It is estimated that 9,5000 lives are saved every year from the 68% of people who
make the right choice, actually wearing their seat belt when they are in a car. Research has been
done, and if 90% of people wore their seat belts it would make such a big difference on a lot of
aspects. It would save 5,500 more lives a year. You could save thousands of dollars in medical
bills from your injuries. The average person pays 45% more in medical bills if they weren't
wearing their seat belt.

Hundreds and hundreds of innocent people die every year from not wearing their seat
belts. You Can easily help yourself by putting your seat belt on and influencing your friends and
family to wear their seat belts. If you don't want to be part of those horrible statistics then, think
about all the things that can kill you, honestly so many things. But, why not take ten extra
seconds to save your life?