Seat Belts

In states with a primary seat belt law, motor vehicle occupants can be stopped and cited by law enforcement officials for not wearing their belts whether or not another violation has occurred. In states with secondary enforcement, the vehicle must have been stopped for another offense before the occupant can be cited for not wearing a belt.

Buying a safer car becomes a critical issue when shopping for a new car especially if you have children. It is important to consider many variables including how many children you have and how old they are. You should also consider whether the seat belt system of the car will meet the needs of your children and if the car has a LATCH system if you will be using a car seat. Some features that will be important when considering your choice of vehicle include manual air bag on-off switch, rear center seat lap and shoulder belts, built-in child seats, rear adjustable upper belts and lower anchors, and interior trunk release.

In 2007, almost 29,000 people died as occupants in auto crashes, 54 percent of whom were unrestrained.

• Lap/shoulder belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent.
• When adults are buckled up, 87 percent of children are buckled up, but when adults are not buckled up, only 58 percent of children are buckled up.
• NHTSA estimates that seat belts saved 15,383 lives in 2006. Had all passenger vehicle occupants over age 4 used seat belts, an additional 5,441 lives could have been saved.
• Nearly three-quarters of all crash costs are paid by those not directly involved in crashes. In 2000, those not directly involved in crashes paid over $170 billion.
• According to the 2008 National Occupant Protection Usage Survey, seat belt use in primary enforcement law States was 88 percent, while seat belt use in secondary enforcement law States was only 75 percent.
• When used properly, seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger vehicle occupants by 45 percent and rear seat passenger vehicle occupants by 44 percent. From 1975 through 2006, seat belts saved more than 226,000 lives nationwide.

Personal injury lawyer: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C., West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming