The Anson County community is reeling from the news that three children, ages 15, 13 and 10, were killed Sunday morning in a head-on collision on N.C. 52 between Wadesboro and Ansonville. The father to one of the children and grandfather to the other two was also killed in this tragic accident, with two more adults seriously injured.

The cause of the accident is not yet known, as an investigation by the N.C. Highway Patrol is pending. What is known, however, is that none of the three children who died were wearing their seat belts. Did not wearing seat belts cause these young girls’ deaths? We may never know for sure.

There is a good chance, though, that they might have only suffered severe injuries, rather than losing their lives had they been properly belted in the back seat. Last year, a 2-year-old was also killed in an accident when he was thrown from the vehicle his mother was driving. He was not in a child safety seat nor was he wearing a seat belt.

These deaths are tragic; a loss not only to their immediate families, but to the entire community.

Hopefully, they are also something of a wake-up call to some of us. We don’t know yet why the minivan driven by Cheryl Bailey of Wadesboro crossed the center line and hit Ryan Robinson’s Audi head-on, killing him and the three children.

No matter the cause, we would all do well to remember that when we’re out on the road, whether just driving to church as Bailey and Robinson were, or down to the corner store for a soft drink, we should always take all the needed safety precautions. Don’t text and drive. Pay attention to your surroundings, to other traffic. Be vigilant. Wear your seat belts. Don’t speed. Don’t drive recklessly.

If this event has taught us anything, it’s to be more careful. Drive safe, folks. It could save your life — and someone else’s.