One simple thing can make a huge difference in the lives of you and your family.

That one thing can be a matter of life or death.

The good news is that it doesn’t cost a thing.

It only takes a second to complete.

And almost everyone can do it, regardless of physical strength.

The thing is the simple, but overlooked act of buckling your seat belt when you sit down behind the wheel of a motor vehicle.

In the past three months our community has seen far too many accidents in which seat belts were not worn, with catastrophic results.

A few accidents have ended in death. Another left two area teens paralyzed from their injuries.

Sadly, in most cases law enforcement officers report that many of the dead and injured were simply not wearing their seat belts.

In Louisiana, State Police report that some 80 percent of highway fatalities over the 2009 Thanksgiving holiday involved persons who were not buckled up.

That’s a staggering statistic.

Obviously, it is impossible to know whether or not the people killed or injured would have survived or been less injured had they been wearing seat belts.

Logic, however, suggests it would have a made a difference in many of the accidents.

It’s an old drum, but worth beating again and again if it will save a life.

Please, always wear your seat belt and encourage all of your friends and family to do the same.

Don’t become a traffic fatality statistic.