Oklahoma Car Accident Injury Law Library Selected Article Compiled on Wednesday September 18, 2024
Defective Seatbelts and Car Accidents
The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) reports that 63% of all people who are killed in car accidents are not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident. In contrast, close to 10,000 lives are saved every year thanks to seatbelts – even though they are only worn by 81% of all drivers.
Unfortunately, even when you are responsibly wearing your seatbelt on a regular basis, the seatbelt itself may be defective. Design flaws, manufacturing errors, and improper labeling can all contribute to a situation where your seatbelt fails you in an accident.
A car accident with a defective seatbelt can lead to serious personal injuries, including:
- Neck injuries
- Brain injury
- Spinal cord injury
- Abdominal injuries
If you have suffered a serious injury because of a defective seatbelt in a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation from the negligent auto manufacturer. Please contact Self & Associates today to schedule a free case review. We can help you fight for the compensation you deserve.
The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) reports that 63% of all people who are killed in car accidents are not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident. In contrast, close to 10,000 lives are saved every year thanks to seatbelts – even though they are only worn by 81% of all drivers.
Unfortunately, even when you are responsibly wearing your seatbelt on a regular basis, the seatbelt itself may be defective. Design flaws, manufacturing errors, and improper labeling can all contribute to a situation where your seatbelt fails you in an accident.
A car accident with a defective seatbelt... Read More of This Article from our Oklahoma Car Accident Injury Law Library Selected Article
Seatbelts and Car Accidents
Car accidents have the potential to cause serious injury or death. There are many potential sources of injury, such as impacting surfaces in the car’s interior, being crushed by the crumpling car, or being thrown from the vehicle. To attempt to reduce the risk of injury, cars employ many types of safety equipment, and the seat belt is probably the most important.
A seat belt protects drivers and passengers in many ways:
- It reduces risk of hitting car interior
- It absorbs some of the kinetic energy of impact
- It reduces risk of ejection from vehicle
- It keeps passengers in areas designed for their safety
The final component is even more crucial in modern cars, whose specifically engineered “crumple zones” are designed to collapse in certain ways to absorb the energy of impact. Keeping passengers out of collapsing parts of the car ensures maximum protection. Seat belts are especially important in some types of accidents. In rollover accidents, for example, 88% of fatalities involve people not wearing seat belts at the time of the accident.
Seat belt use not only protects you from injury, it’s the law in Oklahoma. Since 1999, you can be pulled over and ticketed for not using your seat belt. States with this kind of law have seen a 20% reduction in fatal car accidents, and the spread of these laws is responsible for our record-low rates of car accident fatalities.
However, seat belts are not complete protection against injury, and defective seat belts provide little or no protection. If you have suffered injury in a car accident due to the negligence of another driver and/or a defective seat belt, an injury lawyer can help you get compensation for your injury.
For a free consultation on your legal rights and options, please contact Self & Associates in Oklahoma City.
Car accidents have the potential to cause serious injury or death. There are many potential sources of injury, such as impacting surfaces in the car’s interior, being crushed by the crumpling car, or being thrown from the vehicle. To attempt to reduce the risk of injury, cars employ many types of safety equipment, and the seat belt is probably the most important.
A seat belt protects drivers and passengers in many ways:
- It reduces risk of hitting car interior
- It absorbs some of the kinetic energy of impact
- It reduces risk of ejection from vehicle
- It keeps passengers in... Read More of This Article from our Oklahoma Car Accident Injury Law Library Selected Article
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