Some folks here in the Texarkana area and across the nation see seat belts as a royal pain.
Their confining. They wrinkle clothing. They make it hard to get something out of your pocket while driving. You may drive into a river and get trapped in your car and drown.
We've heard them all.
The fact is seat belts save lives.
How many lives?
Statistics compiled by James Madison University show seats belts cut the risk of highway injury by 50 percent and death by 60-70 percent. They also show that a person is 25 times more likely to be killed by being thrown from a car or truck than by remaining in the vehicle
But still millions of Americans don't buckle up.
Well, if staying alive isn't enough incentive, maybe this will be: Not wearing seta belts can cost you cash.
State and local law enforcement agencies in our area are participating in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's annual Click It or Ticket campaign, which kicks off Monday and continues through the Memorial Day weekend and on to June 34.
The police will be out in force during the campaign to make sure motorists and passengers are complying with seat belt laws. Those who don't will be ticketed.
So if your safety isn't a big incentive to buckle up, maybe keeping your bank balance intact will be.