Have you ever been riding with someone in the backseat of your car who refused to wear a seatbelt? There is a long standing misconception that riding in the backseat of a car is safer than riding in the front seat. This is, of course, not true.
When you are riding in the backseat of a car and you get into a Connecticut auto accident and not wearing your seatbelt you will effectively become a missile that will travel at 35 mph (on average) into the back of the driver forcing him/her into the steering column or windshield and severely injuring or killing them.
A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that just 2 in 3 passengers in the backseat of a vehicle wore a seatbelt. That number is even lower among those 35-54 who were much less likely to buckle up in the backseat, with just 66% in that age demographic saying they use a seat buckle in the backseat.
With the current explosion of ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft this data becomes even more troubling as seat belts are used much less frequently in the backseat when a rider is a passenger.
In Connecticut, while seatbelts are required for the driver and passenger in the front seat, only those passengers who are 16 years of age or younger are required to wear a seatbelt no matter where they are seated in a vehicle.
If you or a loved one were injured in a Connecticut auto accident, contact our office for a review of your case.
