Curiosity Saved the Blog

It’s one of those days, when I’m not feeling inspired about what to write. I’ve spent about a half hour trying to come up with a topic for today’s blog. I’ve considered tonight’s ball game, plans for the weekend, and the holidays, but these are all things I’ve written about recently. I’ve looked through the news. Nothing inspiring there. I’ve considered a quote, but again, nothing inspiring there today. I hate it when I have trouble becoming inspired about what to write. I’m thankful it doesn’t happen too often. I think I’ll just mention a few things that I’m curious about. Maybe some of you will have the answers.

1. Why does my bank still use the same radio commercial that they’ve used for the last five or six years? It starts with something about how “you might not expect your bank’s most convenient location to be in your home or office” and then proceeds to describe their online banking system. Considering I’ve been doing online banking with them for the last five or six years, I just think it’s time to change the commercial. In today’s world everything’s most convenient location is in your home or office, because let’s face it, nearly all stores and businesses have online places to pay bills and shop. The commercial is old and needs to be updated.

2. Why are all the commercials about safe driving directed toward drivers of regular cars and trucks? These drivers are cautioned about the hazards of sharing the road with motorcyclists and truck drivers. The commercials tend to imply these regular drivers are the ones who cause all accidents involving cars and motorcycles or cars and trucks. I know that sometimes these regular drivers are careless and distracted and cause accidents. My experience, though, shows that there are also motorcyclists and truck drivers who are also careless. It’s a problem when a speeding truck passes me on the interstate, especially in the rain. Many of these truck drivers drive too fast. With a speed limit of 70 mph, it’s a problem when I’m driving at the speed limit and trucks are passing me. It’s more of a problem when it’s raining. And what about the trucks who tailgate me? If I have to stop or slow down for whatever reason, then my car becomes an accordion because that truck won’t be able to stop. I’ve also had motorcyclists pass me in no-pass zones or pass me and then veer in and out of traffic at ridiculous rates of speed. I’m not saying that regular drivers can’t be or aren’t careless at times, but the safety messages need to be directed at all drivers.

That’s it. That’s all I’ve got for today. Nothing super inspiring. Perhaps nothing anybody is even interested in. Hopefully tomorrow I can do better.

Buckle Down and Buckle Up

Seat belts save lives. Statistics prove this. Why, then, are there still so many people who will not wear their seat belts? Is it a comfort issue? Is it a stubbornness issue? Is it the misguided notion of “accidents happen to other people and not to me?” Granted, wearing a seat belt is not a guarantee that you won’t be injured or killed in an accident. However, the odds of walking away with minimal injuries improve dramatically if you are wearing one.

Growing up, we didn’t think much about seat belts. It wasn’t until I was about 12 years old that we began to wear our seat belts, before it became state law to do so. I remember the first time we got in the car and Dad told us to put our seat belts on. Our first reaction was to just look at him kind of weird, but after he repeated himself, we put them on. The next time we got in the car, we had to be reminded. And probably the next time. I’m not sure how many times we had to be reminded, but over time something happened. Eventually, we got in the car and without even thinking about it, we buckled up.

On a side note, let me just say that even though it is my opinion that everyone should wear seat belts, I don’t agree with a seat belt law. An adult should have the right to decide whether or not to wear the seat belt. I can accept car seat and booster seat laws, or even a law that minors must wear a seat belt. Adults don’t have the right to take risks with the lives of others and infants and children can’t make those decisions for themselves. For adults, however, I don’t like the idea of a law telling an adult what he or she has to do inside of his or her car, which is personal property. Given my Orwellian way of thinking, I can’t help but wonder how long it is until the government is telling me what kind of food I can cook in my kitchen or what kind of mattress I have to have for my bed.

All that aside, though, there is a seat belt law. Fines for failure to wear a seat belt are not enough to encourage those who refuse to wear one to start wearing one. The only thing that will convince those holdouts to start wearing their seat belts is for them to decide it is important to do so, and frankly, I don’t know what will convince them. They see the evidence and the statistics supporting the benefits of wearing a seat belt. I would guess that nearly all of us know somebody who was likely saved because he or she was wearing a seat belt, who was severely injured because he or she wasn’t wearing a seat belt, and sadly, who was killed because he or she wasn’t wearing a seat belt. If those things don’t convince a non-seat-belt-believer, then I have no idea what will.

When my parents insisted that we start wearing our seat belts, we did. We were children, and we did what we were told. By the time we became drivers, it was a habit, an automatic response when getting in a vehicle. When I had my children, I put them in their car seats, then their booster seats, and then insisted they wear a seat belt, and I wore mine. To them, it’s something they’ve done their entire lives, so it’s a natural habit. I’ve heard people say that they couldn’t get their kids to stay in their car seats or couldn’t get them to stay buckled. I’ve had people ask me how I get my kids to do it. Well, it’s really simple. They were the kids, and I was the parent, and I didn’t give them a choice. The vehicle didn’t move if everybody wasn’t buckled. Whether they liked it or not, they got buckled in that car seat. Yes, they may have cried a little, but when they figured out they weren’t getting out, they stopped. It didn’t take too many times for them to just not fight it.

Later, comes the hard part. Your kids become drivers themselves or they ride with others. I always told my kids that regardless of whom they were riding with and whether that person wore a seat belt, I expected them to do so. When they got home, I would ask, “Did you wear your seat belt?” When my kids became drivers, I told them that if somebody rode with them, that somebody had to wear a seat belt. If they didn’t like it, they could find another ride. I’ve told my kids if they are somewhere and need a ride and the only vehicle there doesn’t have enough seat belts then they can call me. I’ll come get them. It’s the same premise as riding with an impaired driver. I’ve always told them not to get in a vehicle with an impaired driver; if necessary, I’ll come get them because the bottom line is simple. I don’t want to lose my children. Just as I wouldn’t want them riding with an impaired driver, I don’t want them driving or riding without a seat belt on.

Yes, seat belts can be uncomfortable, but I saw an interesting billboard once that said, “a seat belt is more comfortable than a body cast,” so you see, it all depends on perspective. Another perspective is being alive because you wore your seat belt is better than being dead because you didn’t.

Buckling up takes less than two seconds. It could save your life. Everybody has something in his/her life worth living for, so why wouldn’t you take whatever safety measures you could to make sure you do? If you are an adult, I respect your right to choose. I just hope you choose to try to protect your life. If you are a child, then you’ll have the right to choose when you become an adult, and until then I hope the adults who are in charge of you are making you wear your seat belt.

Driving in the Dark

I have to address a pet peeve today – the use of headlights. Apparently some folks think as long as it’s daylight, headlights are either optional or unnecessary. Well, they’re wrong.

Headlights have two purposes, and both should seem obvious. They allow you to see so you can drive after dark, and they allow other drivers to see you. Obviously, this applies in the dark. The thing is it also applies to certain daylight driving conditions as well.

While being able to see where you’re driving is extremely important, many people never consider the fact that it is equally important for other drivers to be able to see them. A simple flip of the headlight switch can go a long way toward preventing accidents.

Driving to work this morning, it was not only misting rain but it was also very foggy. Visibility, as far as seeing the road, wasn’t really an issue, but seeing other cars was very difficult. The cars with their headlights on were no trouble to see; the cars without were another matter. I almost pulled out in front of a car because the driver didn’t have the headlights on, making it difficult to see the car until it was right upon where I was about to pull onto the road.

Being worried about forgetting to turn off the headlights should not be a concern. Many new vehicles will automatically shut them off after a particular amount of time or when the engine is shut off, and the older ones have that lovely ding-ding-ding to remind you that the headlights are on.

It only takes a small amount of effort to turn on the headlights. On mornings or evenings when it’s daylight but rainy or foggy, take the two seconds it will take and turn the headlights on. Sometimes, even if it’s the middle of the day and even if it’s not rainy or foggy, you might still need the headlights. If it’s just a dreary day, that kind of day when you’d rather be snuggled under a blanket in the recliner than driving anyway, use the headlights.

Seeing where you’re going when you’re driving is only half the battle. The other drivers on the road need to be able to see you as well. Sometimes it only take two seconds to take an action that could prevent an accident or save your life, and the thing is, you’ll never know how many times an accident has been prevented because you turned on your headlights.