Not to sound like your mother, but the California Highway Patrol (CHP) wants you to remember to wear your seatbelt whenever you get into a car.

A November, 2009 press release from the CHP states that car accidents — where safety belts were used improperly — are the leading cause of death in California for children aged 14 years and under.  This includes instances where children were buckled up the wrong way or not using a seatbelt at all.Our firm’s auto accident attorneys know that buckling up your seat belt should be common sense by now — especially buckle up your children — but it never hurts to remind everyone to do their part for a safer ride.  When you use a seatbelt you greatly reduce your chances of personal injury and wrongful death should you end up in a car accident.

A new project, known as “California Occupant Restraint Campaign”, will assess how many people in the Golden State do use their seatbelts for car accident prevention.  The CHP has recently received a federal grant totaling $1 million from the Office of Traffic Safety to fund the effort of strengthening enforcement and raising educational awareness about seatbelt usage with the intent to lower children’s injuries from crashes.

Joe Farrow, CHP Commissioner, said, “Protecting your children should be your number one priority.  Making sure they are properly secured in safety seats is one way to do that…remember to set a good example for your little ones and buckle up yourself.”

As auto accident attorneys we could not agree more.  Buckle up your passengers and buckle up yourself.  And, should you see an unrestrained child riding in a moving vehicle, you can report it to the California Highway Patrol by calling 1-800-TELL-CHP.

Call us now at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced auto accident attorney after you get into a car accident and find out how we can help you.  We speak English and Spanish, and we look forward to providing advice for your case.  No fee if no recovery.