Are You Prepared to Make Your Passengers Buckle Up?

On Behalf of | Nov 30, 2018 | Car Accidents

As a responsible Colorado driver, you want to do your best to make sure that you help yourself and your passengers stay as safe as possible. You may do routine checks on your vehicle to make sure no safety issues exist, always avoid distractions while behind the wheel and make sure that you and your passengers fasten their seat belts.

Some people complain about seat belts or have to be told repeatedly to buckle up before you are able to get out on the road. However, you understand that these features are available to help keep you and your passengers safe while in the vehicle and in the event that a car accident takes place.

Importance of seat belts

You may have heard a number of excuses about why someone does not want to wear a seat belt, but more than likely, those excuses do not provide a valid reason for someone in a vehicle to go without a seat belt. When given an excuse for not wearing a seat belt, you may want to meet that excuse by informing that person of one or more of the following benefits:

  • Seat belts work with the airbags in the vehicle to protect you from injuries. If a person does not wear a seat belt, the airbags lose their protective abilities.
  • If a driver does not wear a seat belt, police may pull over that person and give him or her a traffic ticket, which can lead to fines and increased auto insurance rates.
  • Seat belts also restrict movement in the event of a crash, which means that a person is less likely to be ejected from the vehicle or otherwise thrown around the vehicle.
  • In addition to restricting movement, seat belts can also reduce the likelihood of serious injuries resulting from major accidents.
  • Overall, seat belts help save lives.

If mentioning any of these benefits does not get a passenger to buckle up, you may want to refrain from driving or not allow that person to ride in your vehicle unless he or she puts on a seat belt. If the person is the driver, you may want to avoid riding in a vehicle with him or her.

Effects on claims

Additionally, if you suffer injuries in a car accident and were not wearing a seat belt at the time, insurance companies may not cover those injuries and other damages. This outcome may even prove true if another driver caused the injury-causing accident. Therefore, you should always make sure to buckle up and make sure that your passengers do.

Attorney Chadwick P. McGrady at his desk