Teens - Buckle up... Its the Law

As an accident attorney serving Alachua and its outlying counties, I have seen my share of tragic accident fatalities-many of which may have been prevented if motorists buckled up.  My heart goes out to Ms. Walker and her family, who was the victim of a crash that died recently in a Columbia County accident.  Particulary concerning to me is her teenage passengers, that survived although none were buckled up.   I feel it is important to take this oppurtunity and talk about a subject that I feel very passionate about - the use of seatbelts! 

First of all,  Florida law requires all passengers under the age of 18 to wear their safety belt.

Also of note, according to a May 2009 National Hightway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report, teenagers often believe they are immune to accident fatality.

The NHTSA is extremely concerned for teenage vehicle occupants.  In 2007, 4,540 teenagers, age 16 to 20, were killed. Of that number, approximately 55% failed to wear their safety belts at the time of their fatal crash (or 2,502). Nighttime seat belt use drops even further-nearly 65% of the teen demographic killed at night failed to buckle up.  For more information .   

This tragic accident also follows passage of a new Florida law, scheduled to go into effect on June 30, 2009, permitting Law Enforcement to treat a motorist's failure to wear their safety belt as a primary offense.  

Buckle up!  Safety Belts Save Lives!    

For more Information:

 http://www.meldonlaw.com/blog/deadly-rural-driving-safety-belts-save-lives.cfm

 http://www.meldonlaw.com/faqs/seat-belts-i-hate-them-do-i-have-to-buckle-up-nbsp.cfm