Some of the most effective driving safety habits are also the simplest. Seat belt safety is the clearest example: before starting your vehicle, take a few seconds to make sure you and every passenger are properly buckled up.
Our September Sunday Safety Tip reminds California drivers that seat belts remain one of the most effective safety features in a vehicle. Whether you’re traveling a few blocks through your neighborhood or driving across the state, buckling up should become automatic before the vehicle begins moving.
Make Buckling Up Part of Every Trip
It’s easy to think a seat belt is less important when you’re only making a short trip.
Maybe you’re driving to a nearby store, picking up food, taking the kids to school, or traveling through your neighborhood. But safe driving habits shouldn’t depend on how far you’re going.
Create a routine: get into the vehicle, adjust your seat and mirrors, put on your seat belt, make sure your passengers are secure, and then begin driving.
Parents and guardians can also reinforce this habit by teaching children that the vehicle doesn’t move until everyone is properly secured.
Every Passenger Should Buckle Up
The driver isn’t the only person who should make seat belt use a priority.
Our September safety campaign specifically encourages every passenger to buckle up.
If you’re driving friends, family members, coworkers, or children, take a moment to make sure everyone is secured before beginning the trip.
Drivers should also avoid becoming complacent simply because their vehicle contains modern safety technology. Collision-warning systems, cameras, sensors, and other technology can assist drivers, but they don’t replace fundamental safety habits, and they do not prevent a distracted driver.
What California Law Requires
California Vehicle Code section 27315 requires the driver and every passenger 16 and older to be properly restrained, and it makes the driver responsible for passengers under 16. Child passenger restraint requirements are separate and depend on the child’s age, height and weight.
Enforcement is primary, which means an officer can stop a vehicle for a seat belt violation on its own, without needing any other reason for the stop.
The Seat Belt Defense in an Injury Claim
There is a second reason this matters and it is far less well known. California applies comparative fault, and an insurer or defense attorney can argue that an unbelted occupant contributed to the severity of their own injuries. Where that argument lands, a recovery can be reduced even though the other driver caused the collision.
It does not make the other driver’s negligence disappear, and it is not automatic. It is raised often enough that the simplest way to keep it out of your case is to be buckled in before the vehicle moves. The injuries a belt is most likely to prevent, including spinal cord injuries and catastrophic head trauma, are also the ones that change a life permanently.
Seat Belt Safety Requires Consistency
Most people don’t expect to be involved in an accident when they leave home.
That’s exactly why safety habits need to be consistent.
At Khashan Law Firm, we encourage drivers throughout Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Murrieta, Temecula, the Inland Empire, and California to make safe driving decisions every time they get behind the wheel.
Buckle up. Put away distractions. Follow speed limits. Maintain a safe following distance. Watch for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcycles.
Small habits can have a major impact.
Responsible driving starts before your vehicle begins moving. Make your seat belt part of every trip.
If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident caused by another person’s negligence, contact Khashan Law Firm for a FREE consultation. We proudly serve clients throughout Ontario, the Inland Empire, Southern California, and statewide. Hablamos EspaƱol.