Jersey Shore Personal Injury and Employment Specialists

Improper seat belt use a major factor in child crash fatalities

On Behalf of | May 25, 2017 | Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents |

When someone is killed in an accident Monmouth County, his or her loved ones are often left struggling. When that person is a child, it can be especially difficult. While preventing each and every motor vehicle accident that occurs may be impossible, there are certain steps that people can take to help reduce injuries and deaths.

According to a new study, improvements in how restraints are used could help decrease the number of child who are killed in car crashes each year. The laws regarding seat belt use for children are different from state to state. However, states that have stricter seat belt laws have been found to have greater seat belt use. It was also found that fewer children die in crashes in states that utilize red light cameras. It remains to been seen whether the results of this new study will lead to any changes by lawmakers to increase seat belt use and enforcement.

Overall, traffic fatalities across the United States are on the rise. The results of the study showed that 43 percent of children who died in motor vehicle accidents were either not restrained properly or were not restrained at all. Further, in crashes where a child was present and someone other than the child died, the child was not buckled in correctly 20 percent of the time.

Losing a loved one in a crash can be devastating for families, many of whom have a hard time emotionally and financially in the aftermath. Those who have lost a family members due to a fatal motor vehicle accident may wish to contact an experienced attorney.

Source: NPR, “43 Percent Of Children Who Died From Car Crashes Were Improperly Restrained,” Rebecca Hersher, May 23, 2017