Nashville Auto Accident Attorney Instructs Parents On Teen Seat Belt Use
Teach your Child To Take A Minute And Buckle Up
As an experienced Tennessee auto accident lawyer I have been focusing on parents of teen drivers here during this past week. There are so many things to talk about but today it’s about getting your child to understand the importance of wearing their seatbelts. It’s really a simple concept that takes only a second or two to complete, but failure to exercise it can lead to catastrophic results. The use of seat belts is required under Tennessee law. Seat belts can, and often do, help save you and your passengers’ lives in the event of a traffic crash.
The problem is that statistics show that teens buckle up far less frequently than adults do. The very first thing you, as a parent, can do is set the right example for your children by buckling yourself up every time you get in the car. Make it an issue, talk about it and make sure everyone in the vehicle is buckled up before you start the car.
When your teen is ready to drive, remind them that whether they are driving across town or just around the neighborhood, wearing seat belts is the absolute best way to protect themselves and their passengers from severe injury or even death in the event of a crash. Remind them that f they are driving on a graduated drivers license and they are pulled over and not wearing their seatbelt they can lose their driving privileges and have a high dollar ticket to pay.
Despite efforts aimed at increasing belt use among teens, observed seat belt use among teens and young adults (16 to 24 years old) stood at 76 percent in 2006 – the lowest of any age group. In 2007 alone, 4,540 teenagers aged 16 to 20 years old were killed in motor vehicle crashes, and more than half (2,502) were not wearing their seat belts at the time of the crash.
We don’t know what the outcome would have been for those 2,502 teens had they buckled up, but statistics tell us that in that same year, 72 percent of the passenger vehicle occupants involved in fatal crashes who were wearing their seat belts survived the crash.
If you are in need of a consultation as the result of an automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorneys at Phillip Miller & Associates.
Phillip Miller is a Tennessee Accident Attorney specializing in
Phillip has an AVVO rating of 10.0 (Superb), has been designated as a “Superlawyer”, and is the President Elect of the Tennessee Association for Justice.
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