Saving Lives at Sensible Prices : Tragic crash demonstrates anew the lifesaving value of seat belts

Who knows how much kinder fate might have been to the churchgoers involved in a terrible crash in Santa Ana on Sunday evening if their van had been fitted with seat belts and secured seats. Many of the 15 devotees being ferried by their pastor never had a chance when a pickup truck ran a red light and hit them. Some were seated in the back, without belts, on unbolted benches.

Some obvious questions need answering. Why did the truck run the light and why did the driver run from the scene? Why would a church that cared so much for souls not insist on a little more protection for bodies?

There also are some basic safety reminders. Had those passengers worn seat belts, they might not have been transformed into missiles. Police who responded to what they called Orange County’s worst-ever traffic accident were so shaken at the sight of the strewn dead and injured that counselors were summoned for the officers.

The conclusions about the value of safety restraints are all too familiar. The public hears time and again from advocates of seat-belt use, whether they urge restraints for children in cars or for field workers in pickup trucks.

Seat belts should be used not only when the law technically requires them but also because they prevent injury and save lives. And it just makes sense that passengers cannot be considered truly safe in the back of a cargo van if they are sitting on loose benches.

Southern Californians live by the motor vehicle, and tragically, they sometimes die by it. Taking extra precautions is an important obligation when one drives--whether for purposes of work or play or worship.