It’s simple.

It only takes two or three seconds. One click, and you’re done.

Fastening a seat belt is simple. So, why don’t we do it more often?

I remember as a child, my sisters and I would bounce around in the backseat of the car. On long trips, we would take turns sitting on a suitcase or lying in the back window. Even when my daughter was growing up, it wasn’t uncommon for her, and other children in that era, to stand in the middle of the front seat. We think about it now and we’re horrified, but that’s how it was then.

Now we know better.

We know that child safety seats and seat belts increase chances for survival in crashes.

Since the 1980s, I had always worn my seat belt on highways but not in town. I didn’t think I needed it.

Now, after covering numerous crashes for the newspaper, I do not go anywhere without a seat belt — in town or on the highway.

It’s become a habit for me. I feel vulnerable if I don’t have it on.

That’s all it is — a habit. Just as we wouldn’t dream of driving a car with a door open or without headlights at night, we shouldn’t dream of driving our vehicles without seat belts. We require our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren to use child safety seats, but the best example we can set for future generations is buckling up.

So, just do it. It’s not difficult. It only takes a minute out of busy lives and that little minute could save us.

— susan berg