Federal Seat Belt Usage Study – Personal Injury Attorney in MN & WI

Minnesota and Wisconsin Auto Accident Attorneys

Our federal government just released findings of its annual seat belt usage study.  The report showed that 83% of U.S. drivers and passengers buckle their seatbelts every time they get in their vehicle.  To read the government’s summary of the report, log onto:

http://www.dot.gov/affairs/nhtsa0608.htm

Seat belts are still one of – if not the most important– ways for occupants to protect themselves in crashes.  Most seat belt systems and buckles do a good job of protecting occupants. 

For more information on how seat belts might fail to protect occupants in crashes, visit:

www.champion-law.com. 

If you have questions about the seat-belt systems in your vehicle, call the product liability and safety attorneys at Champion Law at 651.766.5886.  We’ll cheerfully answer your questions to make sure you and your family are as safe as possible when you buckle the seat belts in your car, pickup or SUV.  

Have you ever wondered whether the seat belts in your car would protect you if you were in a bad automobile accident?  The product liability and automobile safety lawyers at Champion Law have studied this stuff for years and we’ve seen the devastating effects of seat belt problems.   Here are a couple of things to check for to help keep you and your family safe:

• Look for any fraying or abrasions on the seat belt webbing.  Belts can rub against other surfaces in the vehicle or get shut in doors.  If the webbing is damaged, it could tear in a crash, leaving you unprotected;

• Look inside the belt buckles for any objects that might be lodged in the buckle.  Things like coins, dirt or food can contaminate a seat belt buckle.   If that happens, the buckle may not properly hold onto the belt and the buckle could release in a crash, and;

• Does the belt fit?  The shoulder belt should cross the occupant across the clavicle – not the neck.  Many vehicles have adjustable top anchors for the  belt on the roof pillar behind the occupant.  If the seat belt webbing is touching your neck, adjust the anchor down to get it across your clavicle. 

These checks of the seat belt system don’t take long.  And they can make all the difference in a severe automobile crash.   If you have more questions about the seat belt systems in your vehicle, give us a call.  Our attorneys are be happy to answer any questions you might have – whether you’re in Minnesota, Wisconsin or anywhere else in the United States.  

Let’s work together to do what we can to minimize injuries in automobile accidents – we’d rather speak to you before a crash than after. 

For more information on seat-belts and some common seat-belt defects, call our attorneys at 651.766.5886 (St. Paul) or 612.743.4918 (Minneapolis) or log onto our web-site at; www.champion-law.com, and click on “practice areas” then “automotive defects.”