Seat Belts and Vehicle Safety

Central Pennsylvania authorities often see car accidents where victims are not wearing seatbelts. In one instance, there were 2 young people killed (a 30-year-old and a 21-year-old) when their southbound SUV careened out of control and hit a utility pole. According to the coroner’s report for this accident, the victims were not wearing their seatbelts.

In 2011 alone, seat belts saved an estimated 11,949 lives and approximately 3,384 people would still be alive if they had worn their seat belts. These are just some of the fatality statistics of people involved in car accidents who do not wear their seat belts. Statistically, lap and shoulder belts reduce the risk of critical injury and death by almost 50%, but they need to be worn to work.

Some of the more common types of vehicle accidents which can possibly occur are:

• Head-on collisions – can result in spinal cord injury, brain injury or even death
• Rollover accidents – typically a single vehicle accident
• Rear-end collision – often these are the fault of the driver who came from behind
• T-bone accidents – leading cause of auto accident hip injury or back injury

In the state of Pennsylvania, law requires that you must wear a safety belt if you are in a moving vehicle. If you or a loved one is injured in an auto accident which is not your fault, your case may become more complicated if the defense proves you were not wearing a seatbelt.  This is untrue in the state of Pennsylvania. Even with the seatbelt law, Pennsylvania courts have held that evidence of not wearing your seat belt is inadmissible in any civil matter.

Of course, the best protection from personal injury in an auto accident is to wear your seat belt. So, buckle up for safety, buckle up!