It is amazing what that little click can do. Just one simple action quite literally can mean the difference between life and death.

During the holiday travel season, where all the focus is on the horrors of drinking and driving — and rightfully so — and the increase in those traveling to grandmother’s house, it is easy to overlook the very easy task of buckling the seat belt.

For many reading this column, you can easily remember the days when cars did not have seat belts, or there were lap belts on the bench seats to “maybe” hold you in place.

Long gone are the days when children could all cram into the back of the station wagon unrestrained and head down the road. Even today, the act of riding in the back of the pickup truck is heavily frowned upon.

We know more today. Our cars are built far superior to the vehicles of the past.

But, all of the crash technology possible — including crash avoidance and warning systems — cannot do as much for you and your family as making sure everyone is buckled up.

Just how important is it?

According to a study by the Centers for Disease Control, a total of 21,022 passengers died in vehicle crashes in 2014.

More than half of teens, and adults aged 20-44 years old, who died in crashes in 2014 were unrestrained at the time of the crash.

Just imagine how many of those lives would have been saved had they been wearing their seatbelts.

And, the CDC says, for adults and older children who are big enough for seat belts to fit properly, seat belt use is the most effective way to save lives and reduce injuries in crashes.

Since the days of lap belts or no belts at all, laws have been strongly written encouraging the use of seat belts, and there are penalties for those who are found not to be wearing them at the time of a traffic stop.

But, there is no penalty harsh enough to match the injuries caused or the deaths that result from someone failing to do the simplest of things.

Buckle up.