Mandatory Seat Belt Laws
Car accidents are the leading cause of death and injury in the United States of both adults and children. Seat belts were invented for the purpose to help reduce death and injuries. An airbag is not as effective if it was not for a seat belt. “In the United States, a mandatory seat belt law was first enacted in New York in 1984. Lund et al. [6] found a nine percent decline in traffic fatalities in the first nine months when New York enacted mandatory seat belt law.” (Dissanayake 32) There are two types of mandatory laws, Primary Seat Belt Law and Secondary Seat Belt Law. Depending on the child’s age and weight determines how they should be buckled in. “The lifetime medical cost of crash injuries was estimated to be $18.4 billion: $7.7 billion for treated and released patients and $10.7 for hospitalized patients.” (Bergen 895) The two types of mandatory seat belt laws are primary and secondary. The Primary Seat Belt law is that a police officer can pull you over and give you a ticket for not having a seat belt on. The Secondary Seat Belt Law is the opposite. A police officer can only give you a ticket for not having a seat belt on if you are pulled over for some other
…show more content…
reason. In early 2007, 26 states along with Washington D.C. approved of the primary seat belt law; 24 States approved of the secondary seat belt law during the same time period. New Hampshire is the only state that the adults do not have to legally wear a seat belt. The residents that live in the states that require you to wear the seat belt are more likely to wear it than the residents that live in states that don’t require it. (Dissanayake 6) Everyone has probably been in some type of vehicle accident. Unfortunately, even a minor accident can result in serious injury for a small child. If a child is jolted from his seat without the proper restraint of a safety seat or seat belt, he can easily sustain multiple injuries. The leading cause of death for children twelve years and under is motor vehicle accidents according to a study done by the CDC. (Sauber-Schatz 113) Depending on the child’s age and size, there are many options for car seats, booster seats, and seat belt accessories to make sure children are safe while riding in a car. When my mother was born, no laws were in effect requiring children to be restrained. She could ride in the front seat unbuckled, in the back seat unbuckled, and there were no car seats available. My aunt was able to sit in between her parents in the front seat and hop around if she wanted. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, “The rate of motor vehicle crash deaths per million children younger than 13 has decreased 79 percent overall since 1975.” (N.P.) That is a lot of children’s lives that were unnecessarily taken if we had only known there are safer ways to travel with children in the car.
While car seats and booster seats are relatively inexpensive to buy and easy to use, on the contrary, the cost of medical care due to vehicle injuries can be catastrophic.
Most cars today are made to be very safety conscience due to the increase in law suits and medical cost when accidents do happen. When crash related victims have to go the emergency room at the local hospital, it can cost anywhere from a $2000 to over $60,000 if you are admitted for treatment. (Bergen 897) That doesn’t include ambulance transportation, x-rays, medication and more. This obviously creates stress among individuals and families that are responsible for the payments long after the victim is better. If you wear your seatbelt, more often than not, these injuries are minor and do not require hospital
treatment. There are so many things to consider when driving a car. Safety should be the very first and most important. No matter the condition of the road, or the weather, or the number of people in your car, people should always be prepared to stop suddenly, or control the car in the event of an accident. Seat belts are a no brainer. If it can reduce injury, and save a child’s life, it should be the first thing you do. Car accidents are the leading cause of death and injuries in adults and children in the United States. The laws, which unfortunately are in place due to someone else’s death, are put in place so to keep us safe. With so many cars on the road these days the chances that vehicle accidents are going to happen, it’s a simple choice to make. There is proof that seat belts save lives. Gary Nestlehutt, a Georgia State Patrol, said, “I have never in all my years, unbuckled a dead body.” That speaks volumes.
reason. In early 2007, 26 states along with Washington D.C. approved of the primary seat belt law; 24 States approved of the secondary seat belt law during the same time period. New Hampshire is the only state that the adults do not have to legally wear a seat belt. The residents that live in the states that require you to wear the seat belt are more likely to wear it than the residents that live in states that don’t require it. (Dissanayake 6) Everyone has probably been in some type of vehicle accident. Unfortunately, even a minor accident can result in serious injury for a small child. If a child is jolted from his seat without the proper restraint of a safety seat or seat belt, he can easily sustain multiple injuries. The leading cause of death for children twelve years and under is motor vehicle accidents according to a study done by the CDC. (Sauber-Schatz 113) Depending on the child’s age and size, there are many options for car seats, booster seats, and seat belt accessories to make sure children are safe while riding in a car. When my mother was born, no laws were in effect requiring children to be restrained. She could ride in the front seat unbuckled, in the back seat unbuckled, and there were no car seats available. My aunt was able to sit in between her parents in the front seat and hop around if she wanted. According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, “The rate of motor vehicle crash deaths per million children younger than 13 has decreased 79 percent overall since 1975.” (N.P.) That is a lot of children’s lives that were unnecessarily taken if we had only known there are safer ways to travel with children in the car.
While car seats and booster seats are relatively inexpensive to buy and easy to use, on the contrary, the cost of medical care due to vehicle injuries can be catastrophic.
Most cars today are made to be very safety conscience due to the increase in law suits and medical cost when accidents do happen. When crash related victims have to go the emergency room at the local hospital, it can cost anywhere from a $2000 to over $60,000 if you are admitted for treatment. (Bergen 897) That doesn’t include ambulance transportation, x-rays, medication and more. This obviously creates stress among individuals and families that are responsible for the payments long after the victim is better. If you wear your seatbelt, more often than not, these injuries are minor and do not require hospital
treatment. There are so many things to consider when driving a car. Safety should be the very first and most important. No matter the condition of the road, or the weather, or the number of people in your car, people should always be prepared to stop suddenly, or control the car in the event of an accident. Seat belts are a no brainer. If it can reduce injury, and save a child’s life, it should be the first thing you do. Car accidents are the leading cause of death and injuries in adults and children in the United States. The laws, which unfortunately are in place due to someone else’s death, are put in place so to keep us safe. With so many cars on the road these days the chances that vehicle accidents are going to happen, it’s a simple choice to make. There is proof that seat belts save lives. Gary Nestlehutt, a Georgia State Patrol, said, “I have never in all my years, unbuckled a dead body.” That speaks volumes.