I was involved in a serious near head-on collision this afternoon. I, and the driver and passengers with us, lived to tell the tale because we wore our seatbelts.

Both cars were totaled. My cousin was driving, I was in the passenger seat, and his wife and kids were in the back of the mini-van. As we were turning left at an intersection, a silver Mercedes Benz going roughly 45 mph smashed into us from the opposite direction.

Before my cousin could react, our car was hit, spun around, and violently tossed back a distance of approximately 200 feet. The passengers in the other car sustained minor abrasions.

Little did we know: what would start out as a fairly pleasant day (my sister’s commencement ceremony) would have some unexpected surprises in store. One minute things can be fine, the next minute things can turn ugly.

We were lucky. We survived because we buckled up. I hope you do the same when you drive.

-Krishna