Stop sharply - restrain passenger

Tonight on the way home from Chuy's (yes, it's still Hatch Green Chile Festival!!!) traffic caused me to step on the brakes sharply - and my right arm immediately shot out to help restrain the passenger in the front seat. Now that reflex action came from a relatively short period in my life, when we were driving a big Buick Electra with bench seats and our children would be with us in the front seat. They were fastened - somewhat - to a belt looped around the seat back, but we got in the habit of reaching an arm out to prevent a child from tumbling.

Now most of you know how old those children are now, and I can guarantee you that they don't have that reflex action because the law hasn't allowed unrestrained (or relatively so) children in the front seat for many years now. So I guess that's only a reflex of Mom and my generation and earlier. The years we spent with young children not buckled securely into seat belts were only a handful - but tonight, a full 35 years later, I put my hand out. And I guess I will until you take my car keys away from me.