A seat belt helps keep a person safe and secure inside a car. It does this by spreading crash forces across the stronger bones of the body: the shoulder, rib cage and pelvis. Wearing a lap and shoulder belt reduces the risk of fatal injury by 45 percent in a car and by 60 percent in an SUV, van or pickup. Those are the numbers for the lap and shoulder belt, in a car and in an SUV, van or pickup.

As of November 2026, most people buckle up, but some forget. Nearly half of the people who die in car crashes are not wearing a belt. You may have heard that rules are only there to punish people. In fact, many rules are there to keep people safe. Safety rules say to stay out of traffic and to cross streets at crosswalks or intersections.

Health groups say rules work best when they are clear and stay the same. They say a rule should be explained in words a child can understand. The CDC also says to tell a child why a safety rule matters, such as staying out of traffic. A good rule is also clear and open, so everybody can know what it is. A fair law is for everyone the same. That is equality before the law: no one gets special privileges.

Preschool children learn to take turns. When two children share a toy, each gets an equal turn, like five minutes each. Children can ask politely for a turn, like "May I please have it first?" Even three-year-olds can work out a toy dispute by taking turns or trading. Playing with other children helps a child learn about sharing and friendship.

In 1891 a teacher named James Naismith invented basketball and wrote its first rules. He invented basketball as an indoor game to replace boring or dangerous exercises at his school. The first rules of basketball were written by one teacher in 1891. Laws and game rules can both be written down.

Long before that, Hammurabi was a king of Babylon who ruled from 1792 to 1750 BCE. His laws were written down. They were carved on a tall stone pillar so people could see them. It was found at Susa in 1901 and is now in the Louvre in Paris.

The United States Constitution begins with the words "We the People of the United States." The Preamble lists goals for the Constitution, including to form a more perfect Union and establish justice. It says the people "ordain and establish" the Constitution for the United States of America. The Constitution gives the power to make federal laws to Congress, which has a Senate and a House of Representatives. A bill has to pass both before it can become a law.

Now to the question of the king: who has to follow the rules, and does that include a king? In 1215, King John of England granted Magna Carta, a charter of liberties, to his barons. Magna Carta became a lasting symbol of liberty and of the rule of law, the idea that even a king is under the law.

Words to know

• pelvis: hip bones
• Preamble: list of goals
• charter: charter of liberties
• equality: same for all