I was watching the TV and saw the Allstate commercial for the Parent-Teen contract. It really does put it in perspective the add they made. Also just the music video from Lifehouse. When watching it, you really do understand how sad these fatalities can be. As of now, car fatalities are the no. 1 killer of teenagers in the United States. 70% of those are from not wearing a seatbelt.
Every one of those teens had a chance to make it into something, but their life was cut short. Safe driving is something that really needs to be addressed.

Here are some statistics about this (taken from MSNBC)

Statistics on teen driving and crashes

— Car crashes are the leading cause of death for American teens — more than drugs, guns, or any disease.

— A teenager’s first 500 miles of driving are the most dangerous. During that time, they’re 10 times more likely to crash than an adult.

— In 2003 alone, teens were involved in an estimated million and a half accidents.

— Two-thirds of the teenagers who died in car accidents last year were not buckled up.

— During the most recent five year period for which records are available, nearly 35,000 people died when a teenager was driving.

— Teen drivers killed in motor vehicle collisions had a youth passenger in the automobile 45 percent of the time.

— For every 10 "close calls" in a car, there’s one crash.

— 16-year-olds crash at a rate that’s nearly one and a half times as high as 17-year-olds.

— 15 to 20-year-olds make up 7 percent of licensed drivers, but suffer 14 percent of fatalities and 20 percent of all reported collisions.

— 53 percent of teen driver deaths occur on weekends.

— On the basis of current population trends, there will be 23 percent more 16 to 20-year-old drivers on the road in 2010 than there are today — 26.1 million.

-Ryan

I was just thinking about it, and what is one of the best ways to show what we believe in? It is to show it in our actions. When we are acting around people, we need to show that we are different from the world and not have conformed to it.

Conforming to the world isn't always a bad thing though, but, it also can go against all you believe. Now as humans, there has to be an opening for change. Without change, there can't be anything. Change is what makes us who we are as Christians, and as a nation. We must always admit change to come into what we do. But if we conform to the bad habits and ideas, then thats when things go to the negative.

As Christians, we don't need to conform to bad habit or ideas. Lets say you conformed into smoking. Well, that not only is a bad thing for your health, but it also is falling into peer pressure. And from falling into peer pressure, it can end up in a lot of problems in the future. The example I gave can lead to a LOT of physical problems. If we are going to take a stand, then we need to show we are not like that. If we stand up for whats right, and help friends who are having problems, then we will show that we do live for whats right. Letting God help you with all that you do, is another way to take a stand. Even if times are hard, God always has a plan, and to show you can be strong during the hardest of times, shows that you can be strong.

When we are taking a stand, we always need to remember that we are not doing it for popularity, show, or any other reason for your personal gain. When taking a stand, the reason is to show what you are standing against. You don't need to fall to pressures, and you need to stand strong for what you are standing upon. Never waiver no matter what challenges come up.