You just got a bicycle. You're trying to decide
whether to buy a helmet to wear when you ride it. You think this to yourself. Better safe than sorry.
This is a set phrase in
English which means that it's best to do things safely. If you don't stay safe,
something might go wrong and then you will regret it.
Use this phrase when you or
someone else is trying to decide between two choices, one of which is safer
than the other.
For example, if you're
deciding whether to buy insurance for a car that you're renting, you can say this after thinking about
it for a few seconds:
Hmm. I guess
I'll go with the complete coverage. Better safe than sorry.
"Better safe than
sorry" is a very common expression that almost all English speakers are
familiar with.
You can also say it as a full
sentence:
It's better to be safe than
sorry.