When he commutes on his mountain bike to work, he tries to have the best safety gear he can find and afford. In the car, "my kids are buckled in, and I call the police on those idiots I see driving with their kids in their laps.

"Yup. I see one to three a week while walking my kids to school. Mom in an SUV, driving two or more blocks to get her kids from school with a 1- or 2-year-old on her lap, right in front of the old air bag. It is just a matter of time before something bad happens. ..."

There's a tendency to think such disaster will only befall someone else. In Utah, on average, five people a day find out that's not true. And another one dies.

Brain injuries are never going to go away. But name something that resulted in a TBI and it's quite likely there was a simple protective device that could have lowered the risk, from helmets to child safety seats to seat belts. You've just got to use them.

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Deseret Morning News staff writer Lois M. Collins may be reached by e-mail at lois@desnews.com