A recent fatal car crash serves as a somber reminder of how important it is that people wear their seat belts. A young woman got killed when she lost control of her vehicle and went off of the road. She was not wearing her seatbelt, and she got ejected from the vehicle during the wreck. Ejection from a vehicle often results in death. In the rare situation that a person survives after being ejected from a vehicle during an accident, they are often left with severe injuries that could affect their lives permanently.
Ejection is a leading cause of death in car accidents. In any given automobile accident, any person who gets ejected from a vehicle has a twenty-five percent chance of survival. Seat belt use is highly effective in preventing ejection – people who do not wear seatbelts are thirty times more likely to be ejected from a vehicle during an accident than people who are wearing seatbelts. What’s more, seatbelt use has been shown to reduce the severity of injuries to vehicle occupants during a crash – the medical bills of accident victims who were not wearing seat belts are, on average, fifty percent more costly than the medical bills of car accident victims who were wearing their seat belts.
Seat belt use is an important safety issue, and it is essential that anyone who drives a car understand that while seat belts are the safest restraint for adult passengers, infant and child passengers require additional protection in the form of child safety seats. Many people do not realize that using the improper child safety restraint or installing the restraint in the vehicle incorrectly can be very dangerous. It is estimated that eighty percent fewer child and infant injuries and deaths would occur if child safety restraints were selected and installed correctly. Fortunately, parents, grandparents, and others who transport children can check in with one of the many local fire stations and police departments that offer free car seat safety checks.
Seat belt laws vary from state to state. Mississippi’s primary seat belt law applies to drivers and passengers who sit in the front seat. This law has helped to reduce the amount car crash fatalities that occur in the state, but adult seat belt use in Mississippi is consistently below the national average, so there is room for improvement. Also, in Mississippi, children under four must ride in a car seat that is appropriate for their age and weight. Children between the ages of four and seven years old must ride in a belt-positioning booster seat unless they weigh more than sixty-five pounds or are over four feet, nine inches tall.
Barrett Law PLLC: Serving the Needs of Mississippi Automobile Accident Victims
Accidents where one or more vehicle occupants are ejected often result in fatalities. In cases where a person who gets ejected survives, they are likely to face a lengthy recovery and may even suffer from permanent and debilitating injuries. Whether you were injured in a crash or you lost a loved one, you and your family need time to heal. Pursuing a claim for damages in connection with a motor vehicle accident takes time and energy, but you do not have to do it on your own. The Mississippi Automobile Accident Attorneys at Barrett Law PLLC have helped Mississippi accident victims and their families to recover physically and financially after car accidents. Please call us today, at 1 (800) 707-9577 to schedule a free, initial consultation.