June 26 was just a normal Sunday night for me and my family: we watched a few shows on Netflix, ate a couple of snacks, and then went to bed. We thought nothing of it. So when we got the news that a very close family friend, Elizabeth Steele, had passed away in a car accident, we were in total disbelief. It wasn’t until later that we found out that she hadn’t been wearing her seatbelt.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), 21,022 people died in a car accident in 2014 alone. Around 53%-59% of those people, ages 13 to 44, were not wearing a seatbelt. In that same year, 12,802 lives were saved, just for putting on that seemingly insignificant belt.

“People just don’t understand the importance of wearing a seatbelt,” says Mekayla Phan, a senior here at Sahuaro. Phan was drastically affected by this one click at the age of four, when her mother passed away in a car accident because she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. “…it comes along with driving.”

Even with all of the statistics and all of the proof about how important it is, there are people all around the world who will still forget or flat out refuse to wear their seatbelt. Unfortunately, these people do not realize the true significance of such a simple act. They just don’t understand how that little belt can determine your fate. Whether you live or die.

So the next time you get into a car, make sure you buckle up. It may just save your life one day.