Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that seatbelt usage was up to 90.1% in 2016. This means that more people than ever are recognizing the protective benefits of wearing a seatbelt anytime they are behind a car. However, car safety testers are still using unbelted automotive crash testing. The numbers of people who were compliant with seatbelt testing were higher in those states in which primary seatbelt laws were in place.

The main reason that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration continues to conduct a broad range of different types of tests on various vehicles to determine the impact on passengers, even without seatbelts is because more than half of people who were involved in fatal accidents were not wearing their seatbelts at the time. This means that although less than 10% of the population is driving or riding unbelted, they are disproportionately represented in fatal car accidents. In 2000, however, more than half of the drivers in fatal crashes were unbelted, but that number dropped by 2015 to just 44%.

Not wearing a seatbelt can make injuries sustained in the vehicle accident much worse or could even lead to fatal injuries for the victim. If you have already been involved in an accident due to another person’s negligent behavior, you deserve to have the insight of an experienced personal injury lawyer to help you.