Seat Belts Proven to Help Reduce Chance of Death, Injuries in an Auto Accident
West Palm Beach, FL – Florida’s legislature passed the Dori Slosberg & Katie Marchetti Safety Belt Law. The law is named in memory of two Florida teens who were killed in separate traffic accidents and died as a result of not wearing their seatbelts.
Starting June 30, police officers can pull over drivers and front seat passengers solely for not wearing seatbelts. Prior to this, officers were only allowed to pull over drivers if there was another driving offense, such as an expired license or speeding.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP), in 2007, they handed out more than 311,000 tickets for seatbelt violation in conjunction with a different violation. Now officers can ticket non-seatbelt users as a primary violation instead of a secondary violation. If caught driving without a seatbelt, drivers will receive a ticket costing them around $100.
FHP says all front seat passengers must be buckled-up, and any passengers younger than 18 must wear them no matter where they are sitting in the vehicle. Children three years of age and younger must be in a federally approved child restraint device, while children aged four and five must be in a seatbelt, separate carrier or integrated child seat.
According to a Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) report, in 2008, Florida experienced 1,795 traffic deaths of drivers and passengers in seat belt equipped vehicles. Sixty percent, (1,085) of these people killed were not wearing seat belts.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), primary seat belt laws reduce vehicle crash deaths and injuries. The NHTSA estimates 124 lives in Florida will be saved each year with the new law, as well as 1,733 serious injuries prevented and $408 million saved in associated costs.
Seat belts have been proven to save lives when in a crash. Murray Guari Trial Attorneys is experienced in working with victims of auto accident crashes and collisions, as well as with automotive product liability cases. We also work in the community to educate parents on how to safely install child safety seats to protect young passengers in the event of an accident. For more information, please visit our website at www.murrayguari.com.
Scott Murray and Jason Guari are partners in the law firm of Murray Guari Trial Attorneys PL. The firm founded in 2005, and is headquartered in West Palm Beach, Florida, at 1525 N. Flagler Drive. Mr. Murray and Mr. Guari can be contacted at (561) 366-9099. Additional information about Murray Guari Trial Attorneys PL may be obtained from the firm’s website at www.murrayguari.com.
