For a vast majority of experienced drivers, the benefits and importance of wearing a seat belt at all times is common knowledge. Seat belts are crucially important safety tools that save thousands of lives every year. However, Police and safety agencies all over the country are still seeing a disturbing number of deaths and injuries involving car accidents where occupants or passengers were not wearing their seat belts.
“Seat Belts Save Lives” is a common refrain for those promoting driver safety. For the rest of this week, Police and Traffic Safety organizations around the country will be working overtime to ensure that all drivers recognize that this statement applies equally to every motorist on the road. Beginning on Monday, May 18th and continuing through Sunday, May 31st, Police all over the country will be stepping up enforcement and cracking down on drivers that ignore the facts about seat belt safety.
As motorists, we all share our nation’s roads and highways and have a responsibility to help create a safer environment for all drivers. Every time we get out on the road, we are only a moment away from experiencing or dealing with a dangerous situation. For this reason, and many others, it is crucial that all drivers, young or old, experienced or novice, make wearing a seatbelt second nature behavior that occurs naturally.
Here are some important statistics to keep in mind this week that demonstrate just how important seatbelt safety really is:
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that seatbelts saved a total of 12,000 lives in 2013
- In 2013, 45% of drivers and 48% of passengers that were fatally injured in a traffic accident were not wearing a seatbelt.
- Vehicle crashes are the number 1 cause of death for young adults ages 5 to 24. This troubling statistic is partly due to the fact that 55% of teenagers that died in vehicle crashes in 2012 were not wearing their seat belt.
- In North Carolina in 2012, 57% of fatally injured drivers and passengers ages 15 to 19 were not wearing their seat belt.
The lack of awareness about the importance of seat belts on the part of our nation’s youngest drivers is perhaps the most concerning aspect of these statistics. Only 55% of high school students reported always wearing a seat belt when riding with someone else. This was by far the lowest percentage of any age group responding to this question, and shows the amount of work that must be done in order to educate young people that wearing a seat belt is a necessity, not an option.
Police and law enforcement officials will be doubling their efforts to enforce fines and punishments for not wearing a seat belt for the rest of this month. However, we all have a responsibility to help make seat belt use second nature in the minds of all drivers.
The North Carolina Accident and Personal Injury attorneys at Daggett Shuler Law have years of experience representing victims in serious vehicle accidents. We have seen first-hand the devastating consequences a car accident can have on your life. This is why the attorneys and staff at Daggett Shuler work so hard to promote driving safety.
Whether it is by discouraging young people from drinking and driving through our Safe Sober Prom Night Campaign, reminding North Carolina drivers to buckle up, or simply by protecting the rights of motorists injured by the negligence of another, Daggett Shuler will always do our part to help every driver arrive home safe and sound.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident that was not your fault, you will need an experienced legal team to represent your rights. Lost wages, mounting medical bills and insurance matters can be complex, which is why you need the experienced attorneys of Daggett Shuler by your side. We will handle these details so that you can focus on your recovery.
Our attorneys have years of experience recovering compensation for accident victims that were hurt through no fault of their own. Call us today at 336-724-1234 to receive a FREE, confidential consultation with an experienced Greensboro and Winston-Salem, North Carolina Car Accident attorney.
We will work with you from the start of your case through to the finish to make sure you get the proper compensation to which you are entitled. When injured, make one call to Daggett Shuler.
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