Illinois State Police Officer and I Agree
DR. WALLACE: I felt I had to write in after reading
the letter from the Mississippi police officer who did not support the use of
seatbelts. I don't know what division he's been in for the past several years,
but I doubt it was patrol.
I am an Illinois State Trooper and have been a police officer for over 25
years, nearly all of it in patrol. I work the expressways in the Chicago suburbs
and have seen my share of crashes over the years. Unfortunately, many of them
were fatal. I do strongly agree that a great many crashes can be avoided, but
unfortunately, all cannot be. I have seen time and time again where people have
miraculously walked away from a collision with minor or no injuries; apparently
because they were buckled.
I have also seen countless times where people were seriously injured or
killed when not buckled, even in apparent minor crashes. Although we cannot say
with absolute certainty that the seatbelt and/or air bags prevented injuries,
there is a very strong correlation between the two. Just yesterday I arrived at
a fatal crash in which the driver was ejected during a rollover crash. The
driver was not buckled. I've seen several other rollover crashes where the
driver was buckled and had minor or no injuries.
The bottom line is that you never know when a crash might happen, and it may
not be your fault, but if the seatbelt could possibly prevent injuries or death,
isn't it worth buckling up? Once you get in the habit of buckling up, you barely
realize you are wearing it. Please keep up the good work of educating our teens
... and adults! — Sgt. Ken Diedrich, Illinois State Police.
Sgt. Diedrich: Thanks for your important first-hand information on why the
use of seatbelts should be mandatory when traveling in a motor vehicle. I agree
with you 100 percent and have dedicated several columns encouraging teens to
buckle up when in a motor vehicle. But when they get the same message from you,
it becomes much more powerful and effective.
DON'T ADMIT YOU'RE WRONG WHEN YOU'RE RIGHT
DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend and I had a huge argument. He took what I said out
of context. He is a very stubborn guy and won't apologize because he thinks he
is always right, but this time he is 100 percent wrong — no doubt about it. We
haven't talked in four days. I like this guy a lot, and I miss not being with
him, but I'm tired of always allowing him to get his way. I'm the one who always
says that I'm sorry. - Nameless, Hammond, La.
NAMELESS: Since you are the one who always says, "I'm sorry," wait for him to
talk with you first. If he would prefer being right than spending time with you,
he might not be a keeper. If the silence continues for another week, you will
then have your answer. Don't admit that you are wrong (when you know 100 percent
that you aren't), just to appease your boyfriend.
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to
reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this
column. Email him at rwallace@galesburg.net. To find out more about Dr. Robert
Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists,
visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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