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Be safe, obey the law and set a good example..... BUCKLE UP Florida!

According to the Gainesville Sun, a child died in a single-vehicle crash in Suwannee County last Saturday afternoon, two other children and an adult were injured. None of the passengers were properly restrained in the vehicle, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The two injured children were an 11 month old and a 2 ½ year old, riding in the back seat, unrestrained.  http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090113/NEWS/901131007&tc=email_newsletter

This is a tragedy that may have been prevented. Most people in Gainesville and North Florida know it is against the law to drive a motor vehicle without first buckling up.  However, the penalties are minimal and currently police officers can only ticket adult drivers for not wearing seat belts if they are pulled over for some other traffic violation. I believe that law enforcement officials need to be able to better enforce the seat belt law by making it a primary offense which would then allow the officers to make traffic stops based solely on not wearing a seat belt, in addition we need to have stiffer penalties for the breaking the safety belt law.

The Florida Police Chiefs Association and the National Safety Belt Coalition along with Stay Alive From Education (S.A.F.E.) are pleased to provide you with the following safe driving information which could have a lifesaving impact on you and your children, go to http://www.fpca.com/seatbelt.htm for more information. Remember, Florida state law requires children under age 5 to be protected with an approved and properly used child restraint device. For children under 3, Florida law requires that they be in a separate car seat or a car seat that is integrated into the vehicle.

Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more fatalities than any other single traffic safety-related behavior; statistics show that in 63% of deaths from vehicle accidents, seatbelts were not being worn.  Wearing a seat belt is still the single most effective thing that we can do to save lives and reduce injuries on America's roadways. There is no doubt that in a car crash, passengers and the driver are much more likely to be killed if they are not restrained properly. This is why Florida has seat belt laws. To find out more about Florida's seat belt laws and facts you can visit, http://www.dmvflorida.org/seat-belt-laws.shtml .

Some people feel it should be a person's choice whether to wear a seat belt or not.  I disagree; research shows that when a driver is unbuckled, 70 percent of the time, the other occupants of the car including children will not be buckled in either. Data shows that a child unrestrained in a 30-mile-per-hour crash is equivalent to a child falling from a three-story building. I believe we have a duty to protect those traveling in a vehicle with us; this is not a choice, but a duty and the law.  

As a personal injury lawyer, I see the devastating consequences of accidents daily. I strongly support seat belt use.  Personally, I put on a seat belt just to go around the corner and check to make sure everyone in my car is buckled up as well.  As we have all heard, most accidents happen close to home, everyone should get in the habit of buckling up, you never know when an accident is going to happen, and it could be right around the corner. 

My heart goes out to the Suwannee County family for their tragic loss.  In light of this tragedy, I suggest that we take a minute and let this be a reminder to all of us on the importance of being in the habit wearing seat belts, using proper restraints for childern, and to making sure we are setting a good example as drivers and parents, and buckling up.

 Here are some other articles on this topic. 

Seat belts; do I have to wear them?
Seat belt defense