Five children and an adult suffered serious injuries in a Phoenix car accident on Wednesday when their car flew off the freeway, AZ Family reported.
The crash happened shortly before 3 p.m. southeast of 24th Street and McDowell Road. Firefighters report that the car went off Loop 202 and slammed into a concrete culvert along a canal bank. The children range in age from 10 to 16. The cause of the accident remains under investigation but firefighters believe one of the children was not buckled up.
Our Phoenix injury attorneys represent motorists who have been injured in accidents, whether or not they were wearing their seat belt. However, the law requires everyone to buckle up and wear a seat belt, which can often reduce the risk of serious or fatal injury.
We reported another case this week on our Phoenix Injury Lawyer Blog that involved four people ejected from a Mustang in a crash that killed three passengers, including a 3-year-old boy. Authorities believe lack of seat-belt use may have been a factor in that crash as well.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has launched a major summer offensive aimed at getting motorists to buckle up. The government agency charged with highway safety reports that 45 million Americans are still not using their seat belts on a regular basis. Overall, seat-belt use in this country is at a record high — 84 percent of motorists buckle up.
The “Click It or Ticket” campaign will target violators through the summer months.
“We’ve made great strides to get Americans to buckle up, but we must not rest on our laurels,” said Secretary Ray LaHood. “Not wearing your seat belt is a serious, life-threatening practice. If you are one of the 45 million Americans who won’t buckle up, our Click It or Ticket enforcement mobilization will be looking for you.”
The government estimates about 38 people a day are killed in traffic crashes while not wearing their seat belt. In 2008, nearly 14,000 unbuckled occupants of passenger vehicles were killed in traffic accidents nationwide. Nearly half might have survived had they been wearing a seat belt.
Those most at risk include teens, young adults, men, pickup truck drivers and passengers, nighttime drivers and drivers in rural areas.
View a map of unbelted traffic fatalities.
View who is most at risk for not wearing a seat belt.
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