All Passengers In A Car Should Wear Seat Belts

The Curmudgeon's 14-year-old was annoyed that his father's new car so insistently beeps at him if he doesn't promptly don his seat belt.

So we told him the story from today's Washington Post.

A two-car accident on Route 50 in Maryland killed three early yesterday morning. As with many accidents, those killed were innocently minding their own business when another vehicle, speeding along, rammed the back of their car.

There were five passengers in the car that was struck. "Two people who were not wearing seat belts were thrown from the car, police said." Those two died, as did one other passenger. While others were injured, it is likely that wearing their seat belts helped them survive.

Ejection from a vehicle during a crash is one of the leading causes of auto fatalities. It almost never happens when one is wearing a seatbelt.

We only wish that the nagging beep in the Curmudgeon's new car applied to everyone, including those in the back seat, and not just to the teenager in the front passenger seat. We hope he'll get the message, not just for his benefit, but for that of his buddies, too.