Have a perfect record with buckling up

by Bill Self

Young people need encouragement and guidance to help them along the path to a successful future. Whether it’s in school, on the court or in a vehicle, there are basic rules that can help you accomplish your goals.

When you’re in a vehicle, buckling up is such a simple thing, but it can truly be the difference between life and death.

We’ve all gotten much better about buckling up in the last 30 years or so. I remember when I was growing up in Oklahoma, the importance of wearing them just wasn’t stressed yet. We didn’t think much about wearing seat belts in those days.

Unfortunately, wearing a seat belt is still not a habit for everyone. Some adults still do not buckle up, but what’s even more frustrating is that even more young people don’t wear seat belts. When you’re on the court, you always go for the best shot. And when you are in a vehicle, your best shot at surviving a crash is buckling up.

The good news is that over time, more people are changing their behaviors and making buckling up a habit. It’s important that we as adults set good examples and that we never stop providing guidance and setting boundaries on what’s acceptable.

There aren’t many things in life for which we can have a perfect record. We can’t make every shot, we can’t win every game, but we certainly can buckle up 100 percent of the time.

Bill Self is the men’s head basketball coach at the University of Kansas