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Invincible teens & seat beltsDec 28 '00 Write an essay on this topic.There are some events in life that you hear about on the news that hit you with a clarity and finality that cuts to the depths of your heart. ANY tragedy or death during the Holidays forever leave their impact long after the funeral and forever mar any future celebrations. It is even more tragic when it is 'senseless' or 'avoidable'. Two days ago, in a small community in Ohio, six teens were killed when they rammed into a tree at a high rate of speed. The driver was 18 and they ranged in age from 18 to 13. One young girl of 14 survived, and her life is going to be a living hell when she recovers and realizes all of her friends are dead and she will probably suffer some serious survivor guilt. Not ONE of them had on a seat belt!! Although they have yet to determine the exact cause of death, they do know they were travelling at a high rate of speed on dry pavement late at night when they smashed into a tree just off of a slight curve in the road. The 3 teens in the front seat were crushed instantly. The four in the back were thrown into the snow. NO ONE HAD ON A SEAT BELT! The four who were thrown out of the car had a chance of surviving if they had worn a seat belt. The car was a big Buick Park Avenue, and had been recently purchased by the driver's father believing it to be safer than the light truck his son had been driving. What he didn't count on was his son's sense of invincibility, or worse yet, his stupidity. A large car like that has five sets of seatbelts, two in front and three in back, indicating it can safely transport ONLY five people, yet there were 7 crammed inside as they rode speeding to their deaths. The combination of reckless youth, speeding, not using seatbelts, and a packed car filled with happy teens visiting friends on the day after Christmas has combined to form a tragedy that has overwhelmed a small town and devastated several families. But what is even more horrific is that is was easily avoidable. One of the people this group had visited declined to get into the car because it was too crowded and he said he didn't want to squeeze in with everyone. He is alive today because he used common sense. To compound the tragedy of this whole horrific event, one of the first volunteer firefighter's EMT's slid into the snowy ditch and discovered one of the victims was his child. That is a reality I would hope no one would EVER experience. Seatbelts DO save lives, speed KILLS, and common sense may save the life of someone you love. During the holidays remind everyone how precious they are to you & that they should drive safely and defensively so they can be around for many holidays to come. Remember, tomorrow is promised to no one.  |
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