They Didn't Have To Die!

Three weeks two teenagers in our church had a car wreck and one of them died.  Last week a teenager in a neighboring town was killed a car wreck.  Last night two teenagers from the same town were killed in a car wreck.  That is four teenagers in a small town in less than three weeks.  The only teenager that lived in these three different accidents will most likely be charged with vehicular manslaughter.

The common factor in all of these deaths?  No seat belt.  The law making seat belts mandatory was first passed in 1984 in New York.  It was passed in my state in 1989.  A law older than any of these teenagers and intended to save their lives was ignored.

In all of these accidents, the people in the car who were wearing seat belts lived and had only minor injuries.  Is it possible that the law is so old that we are beginning to ignore it?  Are we taking for granted that our children follow the law?  They all know about it.  We taught them when they were young.  Are we through teaching just because they are teenagers? 

Tonight, sit your teenagers down and have another talk about car safety with them.  Please don't allow your teenager to be the next one who didn't have to die.  Please don't be the next one to get the call saying, "This is Officer Jones.  Your child was involved in an accident tonight."