Memphis Automobile Accident Attorneys Remind You to Buckle Up
Seat belts and child safety seats are the most effective devices for preventing injuries and deaths in car accidents. Failure to wear a seat belt contributes to more traffic-related fatalities than any other behavior. More than sixty percent of the people who were killed in motor vehicle accidents in Tennessee were not wearing their seat belts. The reason that seat belts are so effective is that they keep people inside of vehicles. People who wear seatbelts are not often ejected from vehicles. In fact, ejection occurs in less than one percent of car accidents where vehicle occupants were wearing safety belts. There is a seventy five percent chance that a person who is ejected from a vehicle will either be killed instantly, or die later on as a result of their injuries. Seatbelts also reduce the severity of injuries in car accidents, because they reduce the amount of movement that vehicle passengers experience during a crash.
Children who are not secured by an appropriate child restraint device are at an even greater risk of harm from car accidents than unbuckled adults are. In Tennessee, children who are one year old or younger, or who weigh twenty pounds or less, must ride in a rear-facing child safety seat. Many seats are available which enable children to ride rear facing for even longer, and parents may wish to keep their children rear facing until they reach their car seat’s weight limit, because it is the safest way to ride. Children ages one to three may ride in a forward-facing child safety seat. From ages four to eight, children must use a belt-positioning booster seat until they are taller than four feet nine inches tall. Children ages nine to twelve must wear seat belts, and all children under age twelve must ride in the rear seat of the vehicle, if the vehicle has a rear seat. Between ages thirteen and fifteen, children may ride in any seat, as long as they use a seat belt. Parents should also know that choosing the proper type of restraint for your child’s size is not enough to protect them from harm. It is essential that the car seat be installed in your vehicle properly, and that the child is buckled in properly every time they go for a ride.
Under Tennessee law, the rules regarding age-appropriate safety restraints apply to all people under the age of eighteen. In addition, the seat belt law for adults requires that every driver and every front seat passenger wear a seat belt. Drivers will be held responsible for their own seat belt use, as well as the seatbelt use of passengers who are under the age of eighteen. Any passenger who is age sixteen or older, and who has a driver’s license will be held responsible for their failure to use a seat belt, instead of charging the driver with that responsibility.
If you have been injured in an automobile accident, it is important that you speak with a knowledgeable automobile accident attorney. The knowledgeable Memphis Automobile Accident Attorneys at Bailey & Greer, PLLC offer top quality legal assistance to automobile accident victims and their families. Please call us at 901-680-9777 to schedule a time to discuss your case. At Bailey & Greer, PLLC, we are small enough to care, big enough to fight, and experienced enough to win.
Since graduating magna cum laude in 2005 from the University of Memphis School of Law, Thomas has helped make a difference in the lives of victims of serious personal injury, wrongful death, and professional negligence. Thomas has extensive trial experience in both state and federal court. Among other victories in the courtroom, Thomas obtained several impressive jury verdicts and settlements
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