Buckle your seatbelt in Florida, its the law!

By: Erika Wright

So many of us take driving for granted, and in all honesty it makes sense. Most of us are so content and comfortable driving in our comfortable cars with our favorite music playing, that we lose touch with how quickly one wrong move in a car can change not only our whole world but the world of all those people involved. Yes, it’s true cars have all kinds of sensors, airbags and safety features, but among them is a simple seat belt. Most of us, assume that little strap of nylon isn’t going to do much. Well, you’d be wrong. However a good number of Americans do know the value buckling up.

The national seat belt use rate in the US is about 90 percent, shockingly, that still leaves about 27.5 million who still opt to not buckle up. In 2016 about 15 thousand lives were saved by the use of seat belts, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. The single most important thing you can do to protect yourself in the event of an accident is buckling up your seat belt.

This isn’t just a really good choice to make while you’re driving, it’s the law. Ever heard “click it or ticket”? Yea, they aren’t joking. If you don’t follow the seat belt laws, you are violating the law and could result in a ticket, costing you a fine or 30 dollars and 60 dollars. If a child is not properly restrained, it could mean points on your license, or a judge sentencing you to safe driving classes. But what are the seatbelt laws, specifically, in Florida? As instructed from the Florida DMV Online Guilde states front seat passengers must wear a seat belt. Since 1968, this law has applied to any and all cars. Additionally, passengers under 18 years of age must wear a seat belt or be properly restrained by an appropriate size car seat or assisted by a booster seat. Children under 3 must be restrained in a car seat that has been federally approved. Children 4 through 5 can ether be restrained by a federally approved car seat, or a safety belt. Remember, the driver of the vehicle is responsible for properly securing the children passengers into their seats.

The importance of a seat belt is to prevent you from being thrown from the vehicle in the event of a crash. Being thrown from a vehicle increases your risk of death by 5 times. With seat belts holding you in your seats you are better protected by the cabin of the vehicle and specifically the driver of the vehicle is better able to regain control of the vehicle. Whether you are driving or riding in a neighborhood to your friends house or on a long road trip, the safety belt laws apply at all times. The All Florida Safety Institute encourages you to drive safe and always buckle up. Your life and the lives of everyone else on the roads depends on you to make smart driving choices.

So just a reminder, buckle up and be safe on the road!