The PSAs that still haunt me

With all the television that I watched as a child, I recall there being an awful lot of Public Service Announcements. There was the egg one about your brain on drugs (and the other drug one where the frying pan destroyed the kitchen), and all the more you know rainbow bits, and of course, the ones letting me know that I should learn a lot from a dummy and wear my seatbelt.

And that last PSA really stuck with me - every time I get into a car, I automatically put on my seatbelt. It's unconscious, like a reflex. And now that my son has moved up to a booster seat, I find myself having to remind him less and less to buckle up. It has started to become a reflex for him as well: We get into the car, we buckle up and then we go.

And that is why I was so surprised to read that a quarter of teenagers don't buckle up every time they get into a car. I am not the mother of a teenage driver, I know. I do not have to have conversations with my son about distracted driving yet. But, I wonder: Where did we go wrong? How did we not make buckling up a reflex for these kids?

The survey, which was conducted by Safe Kids Three Rivers, also took a look at how teens reacted to unsafe driving practices. It turns out that a lot of passengers - even when they don't feel safe in the car - don't speak up to their friends who are driving while distracted.

Like I mentioned earlier, I don't have a teen driver to fret over. But I have already started the conversation around safe driving with my son. Hopefully, by the time he is ready to get behind the wheel (scary thought!) he'll have the right foundation for safety. If not, I know where to find some excellent PSAs to show him.

What PSA stood out from your youth? Share with me in the comments.