The official start of summer is just around the corner with the approaching Memorial Day weekend holiday. As friends and families gather to eat, drink and be merry; many will drive to their desired destinations. With thousands of cars and trucks crowding California’s highways, accidents are bound to happen. It’s important, therefore, that drivers and passengers remember to wear their seat belts.
Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration show that more than 50 percent of car accident fatalities during 2011 involved drivers or passengers who were not wearing a seat belt. This is a startling statistic considering most California residents grew up when seat belt usage is considered the social norm.
Countless safety studies prove the life-saving benefits of seat belts. In fact many safety advocates believe wearing a seat belt to be the most effective safety measures a driver or passenger can take to prevent being injured in a car accident. Despite overwhelming research and laws mandating the use of seat belts, an alarming number of Americans still fail to buckle up religiously.
In an effort to prevent needless car accident fatalities, police officers around the country will ramp up enforcement efforts this Memorial weekend holiday. To avoid potential serious or fatal injuries, police officers urge drivers and passengers to buckle-up each and every time they are in a moving motor vehicle.
Individuals who fail to wear seat belts are at an increased risk of dying or sustaining serious injuries if involved in a car. In many cases, individuals who are not properly restrained are ejected from motor vehicles and either die upon impact or sustain life-altering and permanent injuries.
