Straight Talk Law Blog: Seat Belts Still The Key To Car Safety By Seattle Personal Injury Lawyer Jason Epstein

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It may seem fairly obvious in 2010, but seat belts still matter when it comes to car safety. As a personal injury attorney who practices in Seattle, Washington, I know that the failure to wear a seat belt is the number one cause of personal injury and wrongful death when a car accident does occur.

Almost two-thirds (63%) of all people who are killed in car accidents are not wearing seat belts. That’s an incredible figure. Also, hospital costs for unbelted car accident victims run 50% higher than those wearing seat belts – and society bears the brunt of those expenses, not the individuals involved.

The most likely group to avoid wearing seat belts? Males who are 16 to 25 years-old who think they’re invincible – even though they are the nation’s highest-risk drivers, with more drunk driving and speeding offenses, and more car accidents.

The good news is that seat belt usage has been rising every year since 1994, when the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration first began tracking the numbers. This has been accompanied by a corresponding decline in wrongful deaths resulting from car accidents.

Currently, around 83% of all drivers and passengers use seat belts, whereas in 1994, the average was close to 60%. Again, those figures are dramatic and certainly a positive for all of us who care about saving lives on the road. Those 17% not wearing seat belts, however, still risk their lives on a daily basis.

Recently, an English auto safety organization posted a beautifully made video encouraging people to wear seat belts – it’s almost like a work of art, and, oddly enough, there isn’t one vehicle in the entire piece. I urge you to take a look at it here: http://www.embracethis.co.uk
Please keep buckling up when you get behind the wheel – and ask those riding with you to do the same.

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