Not Wearing A Seatbelt In A Car Accident

Car Accident |November 20th, 2018

It is crucial to wear a seatbelt in a vehicle when is moving. According to CDC Injury Center, more than half of teens 13-19 years old, and adults aged 20-44 years who died in crashes in 2014 were unrestrained at the time of the accident. Seat belts can reduce injury and death rates by 50%!

Louisiana laws require that most drivers and passengers wear their seat belts whenever their vehicles are in motion. But, there are some exceptions to this rule, which include:

• People who have disabilities that prevent them from wearing seatbelts;
• Drivers who operate vehicles in which the manufacturer did not install seatbelts; and
• In certain situations, rural letter carriers of the United States Postal Service

Some people think that if they are in a vehicle accident and they are injured, they have lost the right to make a claim if they were not wearing a seat belt. However, If someone was injured in an accident and they were not using a seat belt at the time, they can claim against the negligent driver and his or her insurance company will not be reduced in value.

As we mentioned, Louisiana does require both the driver and all passengers to use seat belts, so those who fail can be fined. But, for anyone making a claim for injuries, medical expenses, or other damages emerging out of a motor vehicle accident, the fact that the injured person may not have been using a seatbelt is usually not valid in evidence in a civil suit in Louisiana.