Be careful and buckle up; seat belts save lives

By Staff
Bad news is never fun to report, despite what newspaper critics like to say.
On our front page today is a story of a fatal wreck Wednesday that resulted in the death of a Phil Campbell man.
Too often in recent months we've read of fatal accidents — both in Franklin County and other parts of north Alabama.
There are no perfect drivers, and most drivers who haven't had an accident of any kind probably will before their driving career is ove.r
But we can all strive to be safer, better drivers.
Reports from Wednesday's wreck were that the victim was not wearing a seat belt.
Let's make this Lesson No. 1 from this accident, so that some good could come from something so tragic.
Seat belts save lives. Statistics show it, common sense dictates it, but some people still don't want to believe it.
They're a hassle, they rumple my clothing, they're two constricting — a million excuses are given for not buckling up, but frankly none are good enough.
Buckle up for your sake and the sake of those who love you and don't want to lose you.
Also, authorities said excess speed was a factor. Uh-oh; almost all of us are guilty of being too heavy on the accelerator from time to time. So consider this lesson No. 2. There are thousands of cars on the road today. We all need to be somewhere, and a lot of us are in a hurry.
But how precious is that extra minute or two of delay by slowing down if it saves someone's life?
Be safe out there — one fatal wreck is one too many.