In my small town we recently experienced the loss of a young mother in a car accident. Her children survived, but she was killed almost instantly in a head on collision. No one in the car was wearing a seatbelt except the baby who was in a car seat. That mom's life is over and it seems pretty clear that if she was wearing her seatbelt she would have survived.

Seatbelts can be a hard habit to learn for some people. I admit to not always being the best at it. But this recent loss has reminded me, and many others here, how fragile life is and how important we are to our friends and love ones. Even if you're down on yourself and this you don't matter, I'm betting that someone out there thinks you matter very much and if your life was over it would affect many people quite severely. Business clients, friends, family, children, employers, the list of those affected goes on and on. Don't take yourself away from them.

Sometimes it takes a big tragedy to wake us up to the realities of life. When someone close to us dies of a heart attack we tend to start eating better and exercising more. When it's a tragic accident we try to be more vigilant about vehicle safety. In this case simply taking a few extra seconds to click on a seatbelt can be the matter of life or death. Make sure your children are buckled in. Don't even move the car until they are. Teach them by example and wear one yourself. If you want them to develop the habit and they grow into adulthood you have to start early and show them that it isn't just a rule for kids. It matters for everyone.

I grieve for the children in that car and their father. They have a very rough road ahead as they try to go on without mommy. It's an unbearable scenario and I hope this story reminds you to start thinking about your own safety and that of your family. I'm hoping her life was not in vain and that this message will help save another life.