Click it or ticket. That’s the slogan of highway patrol officers around the country this summer as they seek to remind motorists of the importance of wearing their car seat belt.
The Nevada Department of Public Safety Office of Traffic Safety cites the following seat belt-related statistics that you should be aware of:
- You’re 75% more likely to die in a rollover accident if you don’t wear a seatbelt.
- In 2015, 51% of all fatal Nevada vehicular crashes involved people who didn’t buckle up.
- If you skip wearing your seat belt, you are four times more likely to die by being ejected from your vehicle in a crash.
- Wearing your seat belt means you are 50% less likely to be injured in a car crash.
Traffic fatalities are on the rise in Nevada by 10.3%. That’s 31 more deaths to data from last year, according to zerofatalitiesnev.com. These are all good reasons to buckle up every time you get behind the wheel.
Seat Belt Laws in Nevada
The Governor’s Highway Safety Association (GHSA), a non-profit that tracks and addresses these issues, says that the majority of states have some sort of mandatory seat belt law. GHSA says 49 states and the District of Columbia have seat belt laws in place.
The state of Nevada mandates that a police officer can cite you for not wearing a seat belt, even if you’ve not committed any other vehicle-related infraction, like speeding. The law covers riders aged six and up and over 60 pounds. It requires you to wear a belt in both the front and back seats. The maximum fine for your first offense is around $75.00.
The laws also require children under 60 pounds or younger than age six to ride in a federally approved child’s safety seat in the back of your car. Citations for unrestrained children can run a lot higher.
Periodically, Nevada communities will push to enforce these laws and draw attention to seat belt safety. In early May this year, the city of Henderson, Nevada ran a campaign to watch closely for those not complying with the law and “Click it or Ticket.” That program is sponsored by NHTSA.
The Controversy Around Seat Belts
Over the years, the issue of seat belts has generated some controversy as research studies suggested that the seat belt use statistics overstated the positive impact of these laws. A 1998 study cast doubt on the effectiveness of these safety tools. A new study in the Journal of Pediatrics, published in May 2017 theorized that passing laws mandating child safety seats had little to do with lessening fatalities on the road.
Las Vegas Personal Injury Attorney
If you’ve received a Las Vegas traffic ticket or if you have suffered personal injury from a vehicle-related crash, contact us. If your torn ligaments, whiplash, spine or neck or other injury were the results of an accident that was not your fault, call your Las Vegas personal injury attorney. Thunder Law offers a no obligation, free consultation to help handle your case.