Across the country, many states are participating in a campaign known as Click It or Ticket to enforce drivers to wear their seatbelts. Between May 22, 2017, and June 4, 2017, both local and Connecticut state police will be citing drivers and passengers who fail to wear their seatbelts. There are still an estimated 37 million Americans who fail to wear their seatbelt when they enter a motor vehicle, putting their lives at stake.
Though the use of seat belts has risen nearly 20 percent since 2000, the percentage is still not perfect. Motor vehicle accidents happen every day throughout the state of Connecticut and those who are wearing seatbelts while they get into an accident are considerably safer and sustain fewer injuries than those who ignore the seatbelt laws. In 2015, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 48 percent of vehicle occupants that were killed in passenger vehicles were not wearing their seatbelts. Seatbelts prevent both drivers and passengers from being thrown out of the vehicle which, unfortunately, almost always results in a fatality.
There are a few myths that people assume are true regarding seatbelts, but they simply are not. People who drive large trucks and other larger vehicles assume that nothing bad will happen to them because they believe their vehicles will protect them. The size of your vehicle won’t protect you when it comes to a major accident. In addition, people are under the false assumption that they are safe without a seatbelt because they are sitting in the backseat of the car. Finally, people who live in rural areas have a tendency to believe that they don’t need to wear a seatbelt because there are fewer cars on the road. It is important to make sure you wear your seatbelt whenever you drive.
Marc N. Needelman is an experienced traffic violations attorney working throughout the state of Connecticut. Contact the law firm to set up a free initial consultation today.
