Illinois Passes More Stringent Seat Belt Law
Illinois has just passed a new law requiring everyone riding in a car in the state to wear a seatbelt, according to a report on bnd.com. This new law goes into effect at the beginning of 2012. It replaces an older law, which required only the driver, the passenger in the front seat and any passengers in the back seats that were under 18 to wear seat belts.
This is the next step in a push by the state of Illinois to increase safety belt usage. The previous law was signed in 2003 and, since its implementation, has seen the percentage of safety belt usage increase from 76% in 2003 to 91.7% in 2009. The increase in the use of safety belts corresponds with a decrease in traffic crash fatalities and injuries between 2003 (1,454 deaths and 131,000 injuries) and 2009 (911 deaths and 89,100 injuries) in the state.
These statistics show how important it is to wear a seat belt at all times that a car is in motion. Seat belts help protect the human body from feeling the full force of a car accident by distributing the force to areas of the body that are more capable of withstanding it.
Seat belts save lives. Even with the use of a seat belt drivers and passengers can still sustain serious long-term injuries from car accidents. Some of the problems from these car accidents may not be evident for many years. That is why it is important to talk to a lawyer after a serious accident to help you determine if you should pursue a claim to deal with health problems that may arise down the road.
Call Page Law’s Illinois and Missouri car accident lawyers at 314-322-8515. Not every accident needs a lawyer but you can talk to our car crash attorneys today for free to determine if yours does.
