| Seat Belt Laws
Q. My kids hate wearing seat belts. Must they wear these?
A. All fifty states and the District of Columbia require children
to be restrained while
riding in motor vehicles. State laws vary, however, concerning the age
of the child subject
to the child restraint law. Seat belts are desirable when one considers
that approximately
700 children under the age of five die in passenger vehicles annually
and that 45 percent
of the deaths of children between ages one and fourteen are caused by
car accidents.
Click
Here for Child Safety Seats Info
Q. Do I have to wear a seat belt?
A. It depends where you live and perhaps where you sit in the
car. Thanks to variations in
state law, you may only be required to strap in children up to a certain
age or merely be
required to wear belts if in the front seat.
Q. May I still recover payment for my injuries if I am in an
accident and not wearing
my seat belt?
A. Yes. Most states reject the so-called "seat-belt defense,"
and will not permit evidence
that plaintiffs did not buckle up as proof that they were negligent in
a way that contributed
to the injuries. In some jurisdictions, however, evidence of the plaintiff's
failure to use a
seat belt may reduce the amount of damages awarded to the plaintiff.
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