Old Habits

Last week, I picked my son up from his baseball practice. He climbed into the backseat like he always does. I think he likes the back seat, it makes him feel like he has his own personal chauffer hauling him around.

As I pulled out onto the main road, I noticed he had not fastened his seat belt. I was dumbfounded by this and started to scold him. I mean, this kid is 12 years old, certainly he knows better.

For his whole life, it has always been the number one rule, the deadly sin, what could he possibly have been thinking? As I started to ask him why he would even think about doing such a foolish thing, he countered with something interesting.

He said, “Why do we always have to wear a seatbelt? We never get in any wrecks.” In his mind, he had witnessed 12 years of strapping in and never once did we actually need them.

It made me think about the safety rules we put on our people. How dedicated are they at using PPE if they have similar experiences? How do we make people really believe the rules need to be followed, if nothing happens to them? Maybe we look at statistics and make sure everyone understands the precautions will prevent accidents. Maybe we take notice at other accidents that happen when people fail to wear the protection.

One thing is sure, when we make safety a habit, it becomes easier to follow. Don’t

become complacent.