A couple of days ago, I read a post by KLM at A Rock in My Pocket, where she found herself questioning the seemingly stupid behavior or poor decisions made by us quirky human beings. (Like what makes an overweight middle-aged woman think she'll look hot donning a bikini? And why would someone buy a full shopping cart worth of watermelons...without also purchasing vodka?) In her comments section, I said it was always good to question life but suggested that perhaps she was asking the wrong questions.
Well, hah! The joke is on me because the next day, while driving, I saw three moron drivers not wearing seatbelts. And yes, I asked myself Why? Why? Why? With all we know today about car accident statistics, how can there be any excuse for not wearing your seatbelt? I just don't get it.
So for those of you out there who, just maybe, are making a similarly moronic decision when you drive, I ask you to watch the following video.
To quote one of my favorite movie characters, "And that's all I have to say about that."
I wonder why people do stuff all the time. (Part of the writer's mind?).
ReplyDeleteMy dad HATED wearing his seatbelt. He thought it was uncomfortable - the shoulder strap rubbed his neck - plus he didn't think it was the government's place to tell him what to do.
I've heard motorcyclists say the same thing about wearing helmets. They understand the risk, they just find wearing a helmet reduces the feeling of freedom they get from riding the bike in the first place.
I don't have a motorcycle, I ALWAYS wear my seatbelt (feel naked without it), I wouldn't dream of transporting a baby without a car seat, but there is a small part of me that agrees about my personal rights being trampled on by these laws designed to protect me for my own good.
On a lighter note, that was a beautiful ad!
Vicki~ Just had to respond. I think people who resist seatbelts and helmets just b/c the govt wants them to use them are being morons (you know I like that word). How about using these life-protecting devices for their intended purposes - to protect life, not to appease the govt. It's still free will.
ReplyDeleteHow about texting while driving? When you see the idiot in front of you swerving across the road with his phone up in th air.
ReplyDeleteDid these people not see Oprah's special on all the people who have been killed or lost loved ones because of people who HAD to text while driving. I mean, really? It's so important that it can't wait until a red light to reply?
Ugh.
What a beautiful ad. I've never once ridden without a seatbelt, and I refuse to drive anyone who's not wearing one.
ReplyDeleteEvery simple precaution to save a life is so worth the effort.
ReplyDeleteMy mom and her sister instilled in me and my siblings the value of buckling up from an early age. To this day, it's just instinct to put on the seatbelt. Even if I'm driving across a parking lot, I'm buckled up.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have to agree with Karen's comment that the act of "texting while driving" is terribly stupid. Here in MI, it was recently made illegal. The one downside is that if you are trying to call someone, it looks the same as texting.
I've always been against texting and driving, but driving while on the phone? I'm not as sure about that one.
Seatbelts are so important. There are too many cars on the roads these days, too many uninsured drivers. I guess some folk think back to the halycon days of the 50s, 60s and 70s when driving laws were free-er, but it is just not worth it in this day and age.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was 18, I got in a vehicle with a guy who had a broken passenger seatbelt. Maybe worse than someone drinking and driving! We got in an accident. I broke my back. The accident happened less than THREE blocks from my house. I got lucky because I didn't sever my spine, but it's a lesson I will NEVER forget.
ReplyDeleteWe have this ad here in NY...or we did. I haven't seen it in a while. It's fabulous...and how rarely do we get to say that a teevee ad is fabulous?
ReplyDeleteAlthough, the one about the shards of glass in the popsicles being a bad idea is a close second.
What a fantastic ad. I just watched it with my daughter. We hugged after.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this. (We need it in our television market area!!)
Happy Friday :))
Nicole~ For the record, we too need the ad on TV here. I found this on FB - not on TV, where it belongs.
ReplyDeleteHey blogfriends, How do I block people like reberto.alberto (comment above) from soliciting in my comments section?
ReplyDeleteI like to think I am a non-judgmental person, but I think I am just a silently judgmental person. I am always questioning people's choices, and I agree with you: seatbelts are a no-brainer.
ReplyDeleteOh, that was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this.
It was very emotive. If found the little girl's wings riveted my attention - reminding me of the consequences of not wearing a seatbelt.
I cannot sit in a car, driving or otherwise, without a seatbelt - it just doesn't feel right or comfortable to me. The way I see it: it takes 2 seconds to buckle a seatbelt. Totally worth it to me!
ReplyDeleteMissed Periods~ We're all judgmental, if we really admit it to ourselves. At least you're silent about it ;-)
ReplyDeleteElaine~ You're right. I didn't realize it. I thought the wings were just there for photographic artistry, to focus on the little girl's playful innocence. But it also signifies her potential rise to angelhood.
Seatbelts have been compulsory in Oz since 1975.
ReplyDeleteThey are simply habit for the vast majority of people down here.
As to the comments, I don't know that you can (I could easily be wrong). I am plagued by an "anonymous" whose comments I have to delete every couple of days. I think the only options are approval which is a pain.
This is one ad that was well made.
ReplyDelete