As an attorney, I often help people make important decisions. Perhaps the most important decision you make everyday is whether to use your safety belt. This is an important decision because one second can change your life forever. In fact, most car collisions last only 1/10th of a second. That's too fast for a human being to react, but it's not too fast for your safety belt which can activate in less than 1/100th of a second.
A collisions at 15 mph can kill an unbelted passenger. That is because in a vehicle collision there are actually two different impacts. The first is when your car hits something, the second is when your body hits something. Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury and death to children. That's why children must use belted car seats.
Failure to wear safety belts can affect both your insurance coverage and even prevent your recovery of money damages in a law suit. This is because in Florida there is a legal concept called "comparative negligence". Comparative negligence means if you have contributed to the severity of your injuries, then compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering and lost wages can be severely reduced or even eliminated.
For example, you have been in an accident caused by someone else, but you were not wearing your safety belt. You were badly injured so you sued that person to recover money damages for your injuries. In court at trial, the jury decided that because you were not wearing your safety belt you were 50% at fault in causing your injuries. Therefore, your money award was cut in half. If the jury had found you were 100% at fault because you were not wearing your safety belt, you would have received nothing.
