CHP Announces Seat Belt Enforcement During Memorial Day Weekend
I’m Ed Smith, a Stockton personal injury lawyer. As travelers will be out and about this Memorial Day weekend, the California Highway Patrol (CHP) will hit the roads and enforce seat usage as part of their Maximum Enforcement Period (MEP). The enforcement will begin throughout the state at 6:00 pm on May 25, 2018 to midnight on May 28, 2018. CHP officers will be mainly focusing on the use of seat belts during the MEP and enforcing other traffic safety laws such as monitoring drivers who are distracted or impaired by alcohol or drugs.
Effectiveness of Seat Belt Use
Seat belts save lives. Research showed that wearing a seat belt reduced the incidence of serious injury and death by approximately 50 percent. The use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved nearly 15,000 lives in 2016. Other statistical summaries suggested that adults ages 20 to 43 years and adolescents ages 13 to 19 who were killed in collisions in 2015 were reportedly unrestrained at the time of the accident.
Who is More Likely to Wear a Seat Belt?
- Adults residing in urban areas are more likely to wear seat belts than adults living in rural areas
- Older individuals are more likely to wear seat belts than those between the ages of 18 and 24.
- Women are more likely to wear seat belts than men
Importance of Buckling Up
Although air bags are useful in providing additional protection in the event of a traffic accident, they should never be relied on as a substitute for seat belts. When an individual fails to wear their safety restraint, they are running the risk of being propelled into a frontal air bag with a force that can cause severe harm. Always be sure to buckle up as the use of both air bags and seat belts can save your life in case of a crash.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is the practice of operating a motor vehicle while engaged in another task or activity. Forms of distracted driving range from drinking or eating, making phone calls, texting, adjusting your stereo or navigation and more. Driving while distracted is a serious issue in the country as it endangers the lives of travelers on the roadways. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that driving while distracted claimed the lives of 3,477 in 2015 alone.
Drunk Driving
Driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs is an ongoing problem throughout the United States today. Drunk driving was a leading cause of 10,497 crash-related deaths in 2016, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The resulting damages from drunk driving accidents contributed to an overall cost of $44 billion annually in 2010, the year for which comprehensive data is available.
Stockton Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Stockton personal injury lawyer. If you have been injured in an accident caused by another motorist’s negligence, you need the assistance that an experienced injury lawyer can provide to recover damages. If this has happened to you or someone you love, contact me anytime at (209) 227-1931 or toll-free at (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly case advice.
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I am a listed member of the Million Dollar Advocates, an association of trial lawyers who have won million dollar case verdicts and settlements on behalf of their injured clients.
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