Last week, I blogged about the recent MnDot warning about the increased number of road deaths at the start of 2009. This past week saw a few more cases. Looking closer at the numbers, indicates that a majority of those who have died were not wearing seat belts. This is a troubling trend and should remind everyone of the importance of wearing your seat belt.
These findings also raise the issue of if the legislature should look at tightening the law on seatbelt usage. One way to do this would be to make not wearing a seatbelt a primary offense. In other words, allow police stops for a person not wearing a belt and not as a add on offense after a stop for another reason. While there are concerns that this would potentially add a simple excuse to stop more cars, these death numbers may support such issues.
The Department of Public Safety says we could save 30 lives and prevent up to 400 serious injuries per year because of this law. The potential savings in emergency responses and medical expenses could make a real difference. This trend will need to be watched closely.
A founding partner with Bradshaw & Bryant, Mike Bryant has always fought to find justice for his clients—knowing that legal troubles, both personal injury and criminal, can be devastating for a family. Voted a Top 40 Personal Injury "Super Lawyer" multiple years, Mr. Bryant has also been voted one of the Top 100 Minnesota "Super Lawyers" four times.
Comments for this article are closed.