I once was passing my neighbors weekend place out of Dripping Springs and saw he was there. It was a weekday and I realized he being a state employee, probably had the day off. It was Texas Independence Day.

When I pulled up he came outside and we visited a few minutes, then he said, “why don’t we drive into town a buy a 6 pack of Lone Star Beer and drive over to the lookout and sit a spell and enjoy the afternoon”.

I had nothing going on so that’s what we did. Amazing conversation, I’ll get into another time.

Anyway as we loaded up and pulled out onto the little country back road heading to town, he looked over at me and said, “aren’t you going to fasten your seatbelt”?

I laughed and said, well we are just running to town.

The new seat belt law for Texas had just passed and became law.

He said “Lewis if I can’t get you to buckle up, how will I ever get everyone else to“?

I said you have a point there and snapped the buckle shut and have religiously worn one ever sense. That was more than 30 years ago.

My beer drinking buddy that afternoon was the then Governor of Texas, Mark White. The seatbelt law was one of his signature accomplishments.