At times, it may seem that we’ve become a bit too safety conscious these days.

Everyone is expected to wear a seatbelt, helmet and life jacket while performing particular tasks or engaging in outdoor fun.

The instruction manual of your lawnmower will more than likely suggest wearing protective eyewear while the device is in operation. If you want to ride your motorcycle down the road, you will want to wear a DOT approved helmet.

Before you get in a boat, don’t forget to bring a life jacket.

And while the some will scoff at the notion that a helmet will protect them in a motorcycle accident and feel that their swimming ability is above par should a boat accident occur, there are reasons why these things are suggested, if not state law.

You will never expect a stick or rock to pop out of the bottom of the lawnmower while you’re cutting the grass. And you more than likely won’t see a car pull out in front of you while riding your motorcycle down the highway at a speed just a bit over the limit until it’s too late.

But stories of people being injured, or worse yet, dying from injuries sustained while doing these things are reported regularly.

And that’s why these suggestions, and laws, were put in place.

If you were wearing protective eyewear while cutting the grass and a wayward rock was jettisoned toward your peepers, a scratched or cracked pair of eyewear is infinitely better than a trip to the doctor and a subsequent eye patch.

A boating accident caused by an invisible log will be less of an inconvenience when the life jacket keeps you afloat.

And that uncomfortable helmet will have been a lifesaver after that inattentive driver pulled into the path of your two-wheeled vehicle.

Safety equipment was made for a reason.

And while they may not be the most comfortable of devices, they do serve a very important purpose. So don’t forget to employ them.