DR. WALLACE: My boyfriend is a very good guy in many respects, but he has one habit that absolutely drives me crazy! Most of the time he's sweet, attentive and very nice to me. He even makes me laugh almost every day with one of his many funny stories.

But whenever we are out in public and he sees some of his classmates, sports teammates or anyone else he's concerned about, he raises his voice when he's speaking to me, and he makes sure he's talking loud enough so that the person or people he wants to impress can clearly hear what he's saying. He'll often say something like "Don't worry, I'll take care of that for you," or "I'll get you in touch with one of my contacts who can fix that for you."

And what's really strange is that what he often says loudly doesn't have any correlation to what we were talking about right before he raised his voice! It's so obvious and weird in my opinion that he has some sort of issue that causes him to do this. Why do you think this is happening?

And don't get me wrong, I don't want to dump him or anything like that, but rather I'd like to know why he does this. I'm so surprised whenever this happens that I don't say anything to him about it all, we end up going back to our previous conversation as if he never said anything? — I Find This Bizarre, via email

I FIND THIS BIZARRE: In my opinion, he's aiming to have others hear him so that he can present himself as your "protector" or your guide whenever you might need help with something.

But the fact that he does this when you have not asked for any help or direction at all indicates to me that he likely feels insecure within your relationship, and he wants to project strength and control to others. This may be because he has an underlying level of jealousy regarding you (and if so, these comments are intended to ward off others) or he's simply insecure about his own value within the relationship, especially as it is viewed by others.

In any case, I do suggest that you speak with him about this when you have a quiet, comfortable time to do so. Let him know early on that he does not have to appear to be overly protective of you and then simply wait to hear his reply and explanation on this topic.

Any time something strange or unusual crops up within a romantic relationship, even something as innocuous as this, I recommended discussing it calmly at an appropriate time. If a poor reaction then ensues, this would indicate a red flag that should not be ignored. But more often than not, small items can be moved past easily and by discussing literally anything small like this, it keeps the flow of communication open for any other topics, perhaps more impactful, to be quietly discussed in real time as well.

MY FATHER NEVER WORRIES ABOUT THOSE IN THE BACK SEAT

DR. WALLACE: My father is really strict about everyone getting into the front seat with him buckling up, or putting their seat belt on, including the shoulder harness, but what's really strange to me is that he does not seem to care in the least if those in the back seat wear seat belts or not.

For example, last week three of my friends and I were picked up by my father and they all climbed into the back seat. One of the girls was asking my father if he knew how to get a shoulder belt pulled out for the middle seat and he said not to worry about any seat belts in the back seat since, "We're not going far and you're just in the back seat anyway." It's like my father does not worry about anyone in the back since there is no windshield right in front of them. — My Father Is Inconsistent With Seat Belts, via email

MY FATHER IS INCONSISTENT WITH SEAT BELTS: Your father is sorely misinformed regarding seat belts. Every person in every vehicle should have their seat belts on regardless of where they are sitting in a vehicle.

Not every automobile impact is from the front, for starters, being hit on the side is very dangerous to those in the back seat or seats.

And everyone in a moving vehicle is at risk of being ejected from a vehicle during any impact. This has been proven to greatly increase the odds of serious injury or death. No one should be unbelted ever, for this very reason, amongst others.

Finally, your father should realize that the world lost Princess Diana back in 1997 would likely have survived the automobile crash that claimed her life. Newsweek magazine reported that Princess Diana would've had an 80% chance of surviving that crash had she worn a seat belt, according to a policeman who took part in the official investigation into the tragedy.

David Douglas, a former senior officer in the Metropolitan Police, helped put together the official report into the circumstances surrounding the 1997 crash in the Pont de l'Alma tunnel in Paris that killed Diana, her boyfriend and her driver. He stated, "If they had been wearing seat belts, our experts tell us there was probably an 80% chance that they would have survived the accident. It would still have been a terrible accident, they would have been badly injured, but it probably would not have been fatal."

Both Princess Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed were seated in the back seat of the vehicle, and neither of them had their seat belts fastened. There is no more high-profile example of why all passengers should wear their seat belts 100% of the time they are traveling in a moving vehicle.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at rwallace@thegreatestgift.com. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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