Know the Law About Pick-up Trucks and Buckle Up
Nationwide, pick-up truck drivers in rural areas are among those least likely to comply with safety belt laws.
As an experienced car accident attorney, also know as a personal injury attorney, I agree that pick-up drivers in North Central Florida are no exception to the national trend. Florida’s unrestrained pick-up occupants, especially children, are at risk for serious injury and even death, as exemplified in the recent Green Cove Springs pick-up truck rollover accident.
Approximately 22 percent of persons killed in motor vehicle accidents in rural areas were pick-up truck occupants, accounting for 77 percent of all pick-up fatalities. Tragically, 67 percent of those killed in rural pick-up wrecks were unrestrained, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
The first step toward saving lives is knowing Florida law for pick-up drivers.
Additionally, riding unrestrained in a pick-up truck cargo area is dangerous for everyone, since truck beds were designed for freight, not people.
Kids are especially vulnerable when riding in a truck bed and can be injured and ejected when the vehicle swerves or stops quickly. When riding in the cargo area, children are 8 times more likely to be killed than when riding properly restrained in the truck’s cab. Save children’s lives, know Florida’s law for riding in the bed of a Truck.
The most simple and cost effective safety measure to protect pick-up drivers is to wear a seat belt. NHTSA data shows that the use of a seat belt by front seat passengers in pick-up trucks reduced the risk of death by 60 percent and the chances of critical injury by 65 percent. Safety belts saves lives-especially in pick up trucks.
For more information please see:
- Deadly Rural Driving: Safety Belts Save Lives
- Rural Teen Drivers Are at Higher Risk
Hello, I am Jeffrey Meldon. As an accident attorney, I strongly believe that public education is the first step in the prevention of an accident or in the recovery from one.
My Office and Associates are located in Gainesville, Florida. We are Personal Injury Attorneys (Accident Attorneys). I take pride in my work and the results that I and my experienced team of Associates and Staff get for our clients.
Everyone in my Office works hard to help accident victims get the justice and the fair settlement or jury verdict that they deserve throughout the North and Central Florida area including: Ocala, Marion County, Alachua County, Lake City, Citrus County, Daytona Beach, and Inverness. I am highly involved with every case in my office and am the negotiator with insurance companies.
You can feel free to give me a call at 800-373-8000 or contact my office, with any questions you may have, or to discuss your unique case.
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