I never knew why I was so bothered by the idea of a seatbelt. It wasn’t that it was uncomfortable or unappealing, not that that would matter, but maybe I didn’t want to put it on so I could have better ability to move around in the small space provided in the car.

At the age of 14 and under, I never enjoyed putting a seatbelt on. My mother made sure I did, but it wasn’t something I immediately chose to do. Each time I got into a car I wished I wanted to put a seatbelt on for myself, not for my mother.

Thinking back to my first year of high school I can’t honestly say I remember much. The one thing I do remember from freshman year was something a friend said that truly would change me for the better.

I’d been crushing on a guy for a while, and we planned on going to the mall for our first “date.” My mother had to be the one to drive us. We picked him up from his home, he held the car door open for me, and he came in after.

The first thing he said was, “safety first,” and buckled himself in. He looked over and smiled, and I immediately buckled myself in, as well.

Six years later, and I’m proud to say the first thing that pops into my head the moment I get into any vehicle is “safety first,” and I immediately put my seatbelt on.

I think it was the way he so optimistically said “safety first,” and if it wasn’t that, it was the fact that I knew he cared about his safety, along with everyone else’s.

He doesn’t know his influence is the reason I refuse to text and drive, not put my seatbelt on and never feel as if I’m above the law when I drive.

The fact that the smallest phrase influenced me to be safer and possibly save my own life makes me so happy. Fortunately, I didn’t have to learn from a traumatic experience the importance of remaining safe. Sometimes it’s the little things that change you.

So here’s an uncountable amount of “thank you’s” to my freshman year crush for telling me, “safety first.”