The very first thing that you should do when you get into your car is to buckle up and make sure that every passenger in your vehicle is buckled up. You should not shift the car into gear until you have done so. The consequence of not wearing a seat belt can be deadly. As per the Centers for Disease Control, vehicular crashes are one of the leading causes of death within the United States for individuals aged 1 to 54.
Injuries and Deaths:
Information obtained by the CDC from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discloses that in 2018, more than 2.2 million vehicle occupants were treated in emergency rooms as a result of being injured in an auto crash, and 22,697 drivers and passengers in passenger vehicles were fatally injured in motor vehicle crashes. According to the NHTSA, more than half of teens (13 to 19 years of age) and adults (20 to 44 years of age) who died in crashes in 2018 were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the accident. Additionally, the financial costs associated with persons injured in car crashes are staggering and cannot be overstated. The CDC reports that In 2017, non-fatal crash injuries resulted in almost $62 billion in lifetime medical and work loss costs.
The Importance of Buckling Up:
According to the NHTSA, as reported by the CDC, seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by approximately one-half. In 2017, seat belt use saved nearly 15,000 lives. The NHTSA advises that although air bags provide extra protection, they are not a substitute for seat belts. Together, airbags along with seat belts give the highest level of protection for adults.
Wearing a seat belt is the safest and most reliable way to be safe and secure while driving a car or riding in a vehicle as a passenger. Simply stated, buckling up reduces your risk of death, moderate injury, and serious injury. The facts speak for themselves. According to the NHTSA, wearing a seat belt is the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself in a crash.
The team at Liever, Hyman & Potter, P.C., are always concerned for the safety of the motoring public while driving in Reading, Berks County, Pottsville, Schuylkill County, and throughout Eastern and Central PA. The personal injury attorneys near Philadelphia serve car, motorcycle, automobile, and truck accident victims and their loved ones in claims and cases involving serious injury and death caused by the negligence of others. The firm also handles medical malpractice, nursing home neglect, and work comp cases.
From the desk of Adam K. Levin, Esquire