Seatbelts save lives
The headline of the Jan. 30 front page story screamed in bold print, "I miss my daddy." What followed was the latest in the three-year-old story of Kern County Sheriff's Deputy Joe Hudnall's death while transporting a 19-year-old inmate through the Kern Canyon.
How many times has the public seen the winsome smile of Deputy Hudnall in the pages of our local paper? Each time, I am saddened by the immeasurable loss to Hudnall's three sons and his wife.
And yet my mind is gripped by two gnawing facts that have been omitted or buried in articles covering this tragedy for the past three years: Deputy Hudnall was driving at an excessive speed through the canyon; and in violation of the law, he and the passenger for whom he was responsible were not wearing seat belts. These are two critical issues which might have mitigated the outcome of the tragic accident.
Many lives have been changed, including that of his passenger. While we're taught that we have no control over "the other guy's" actions, we do have control over our own. Seatbelts can and do save lives. Always buckle up.
MARY WEBB
Bakersfield
