Seat Belts Save Lives
Michael Babboni
Car Accidents
It’s a message that most of us have probably heard all our lives if we grew up in a first world nation like the USA, but it bears repeating throughout our lives because it’s such an important message. Wearing your seatbelt can mean the difference between life and death. Orlando just got another grim demonstration of this.On February 28, 2017, at the intersection of Metrowest Boulevard and Wilshire Drive, Kiflom Golla was driving east down Metrowest when a truck turned into his path. The vehicles collided and Mr. Golla was not wearing a seatbelt. Because of the speeds of the vehicles involved, he was thrown straight through the windshield of his car and out onto the street. By the time an emergency response had arrived and examined him, he was pronounced dead on the scene.
Unfortunately, the particular details of this story are all too familiar, not just in Florida, but every part of the world where cars are still used. Despite the fact that it takes less than 10 seconds to put on a seatbelt, many people choose not to, because the inconvenience of taking that time is worth risking a life for. Most people, of course, wouldn’t agree that risking a human life over such a small thing is sensible, but the people who don’t wear seatbelts aren’t thinking of danger in the future, they are only considering minor inconveniences in the present. And not thinking about the future may have serious repercussions, not just for your physical health, but financial as well.
Blame Is Not Always One-Sided
If you get into an accident with someone and injuries are involved, one of the first things you should do if you know it is not your fault is engage the services of a lawyer for car crash. They have the all the experience you need to quickly line up what you’ll need to go to court. One of the most important things for you to do for the court and insurance company is to clearly establish who is at fault.
However, even if another driver is to blame, as is the case with Kiflom Golla and the truck that suddenly turned into him, that does not automatically mean the other driver will get 100% of the blame. For example, if you get into an accident where the other driver has made a driving error, but you have children in the vehicle that you did not bother to properly restrain with seatbelts, it’s possible that you may be assigned partial fault for the injuries of your children since it is your responsibility, as a parent, to ensure their safety in a motor vehicle.
This means that while the other driver will still bear the brunt of the financial responsibility in a negligence lawsuit for personal injury in a collision, you may also shoulder some of the blame. Wearing a seatbelt is an easy to implement safety measure, so it can be argued that you were being a negligent parent with your decision to not strap in your children.
Always remember, a seatbelt is a very easy safety device to use. If you really find it too much trouble to wear one, or ensure child passengers are wearing them, you might not be ready for the responsibility of being a driver.