Rebecca Livingston, a Uniontown, West Virginia teenager, was killed when the car she was riding in crashed into a sewer drain while rounding a curve. The driver of the car suffered "major injuries" and was taken to the hospital. Neither Livingston, nor the unidentified male driver, were wearing seatbelts. Both were ejected when the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier flipped after impact.

Seatbelt Laws

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), seatbelt use stood at 82% of vehicle occupants. This is a slight increase from 81% in 2006. It is believed that part of the reason so many people are wearing their seatbelts is due to stricter law enforcement. While many states have primary, or standard, safety belt laws where a driver can be pulled over if they or their passengers are not wearing seatbelts, many more, such as West Virginia, only have secondary safety belt laws. This means that a driver can only be cited if they were pulled over for another traffic infraction.

While it may be a personal choice to wear a seatbelt, just as it is with motorcyclists and helmets, it is proven that they save lives. It's obviously unknown if a seatbelt would have saved Rebecca Livingston's life, or lessened the injuries of the male driver, but the chances of serious injury or death would have gone down had this been the case.

If you have been injured, or lost a loved one, in an auto accident, please contact the Accident Lawyers Network to find an experienced injury lawyer in your area.