Wear a Seat Belt to Prevent Portland Car Accidents

Seat belts are extremely important to preventing serious injuries in Portland car accidents. Car accidents will happen sometimes despite every driver being very careful, and we all know that not all drivers are always very careful. Therefore, wearing a seat belt becomes the #1 safety precaution we can all take against injury during an auto accident.

Portland drivers have all heard the reasons to wear seat belts, and actually we’re all doing pretty well. According to a 2010 study by the Oregon Department of Transportation, 97% of Oregon drivers wear seat belts. This means we have the third highest rate of seat belt use in the nation, after Michigan and Hawaii.

Unfortunately, those three percent of people who do not wear seat belts still run the risk of getting injured in a Portland car accident. According to the Motor Vehicle Occupant Safety Survey in 1998, there are many reasons why those who do not wear seat belts state for not wearing the belt:

1. Being in a hurry
2. Light traffic on the roads (or only going a short distance)
3. Belief that the air bag is enough protections
4. Seat belt in uncomfortable
5. Resentment at government (or other authority figure) dictating behavior
6. Not wanting to get clothes dirty or wrinkled
7. Being a good driver means crashes are unlikely

But these are not good reasons to not wear a seat belt. Some conditions, like arthritis and obesity make wearing a seatbelt uncomfortable, but there are belt adjusters, etc., that can be purchased to help correct these issues.

Sadly, being a good driver also does not protect you – not everyone is a good driver, and therefore there will always be a risk of a car accident when you drive.

There are news stories everyday about horrible Portland car accidents, but the injuries in many of these cases are either avoided, or made less severe with the use of a seat belt. As Portland car accident lawyers, we encourage everyone to wear seat belts to help prevent injuries in auto crashes.