A family whose daughter died seconds after she took her seat belt off to take a selfie have pleaded with others to "buckle up for your loved ones".
Wendy and David Mills tragically lost their daughter Kailee after she took off her seat belt when she was just 500 yards away from home in Houston, Texas.
The 16-year-old was on her way to a Halloween party with her friends when the car she was travelling in veered off the road and crashed on October 28, 2017.
Kailee was ejected from the backseat of the car and died instantly while her three friends, who were all wearing seat belts, walked away with only marks and bruises.
This year Kailee would have been 20 years old and potentially pursuing her dreams of becoming a dermatologist.
"Her 21st birthday is coming up on May 27," said her dad David.
"Seeing all of her friends having their 21st birthday is hard because it's a big milestone and we always wonder what she would be like today as a young adult."
He added: "Kailee always wanted to be a dermatologist because she had some skin issues as a child and viewed her doctors as heroes.
"She also wanted to continue her work helping people through volunteering for charities."
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Following her death, her parents launched The Kailee Mills Foundation where they campaign about the importance of seat belt safety.
Since its launch, they have handed out more than 200,000 seat belt awareness ribbon decals and worked with authorities to prevent more tragic deaths.
"Losing a child is indescribable, it's a pain so deep that you can't put it into words," David added.
Each year, her family and friends gather to celebrate her life on both the anniversary of her death and her birthday.
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Her dad said: "We visit her at the cemetery and also visit her crash site to change out the photo embedded in the roadside cross and clean up the site where people still leave flowers and small gifts and cards.
"It's so touching to see that even after 4 years there are so many people that visit her crash site and her grave site.
"She really has made an impact on the world and to see that she is loved by so many is heartwarming."
With National Seat Belt Day having just passed, Kailee's parents have asked people to "think about why you should wear your seat belt."
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"There is someone at home that loves you and is counting on you to make it home safe, and they would be devastated if you didn't over something so simple as just wearing a seat belt," David added.
The family plan to honour Kailee's memory by continuing their school, scholarship and family assistance programs.
They have over 80 highway billboards up across the south west United States and have also been working with a company owned by people in the UK.
"Anglia Homes are building a custom home to auction off and donate the proceeds to our mission," David said.
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"It's an exciting project that will kick off in March and bring good exposure to our mission through media and local companies getting involved.
"To know that Kailee's story is reaching so many people around the world and saving lives gives us hope that even through tragedy, good things can come out of it and her death was not in vain."
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