According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Bay State ranks 47th in the country for seat belt use. Currently, Massachusetts motorists and passengers are supposed to wear seat belts, but failure to do so is considered a secondary offense. In other words, police officers cannot pull over a driver for failure to wear a seat belt. They must pull over motorists for primary offenses like speeding or running a red light.
Some argue that changing the seat belt laws in Massachusetts could lead to racial profiling by police officers, but others say it’s a necessary safety measure. According to one Falmouth, requiring Massachusetts drivers and passengers to buckle their seat belts could save eighteen lives and prevent 600 serious injuries per year.
According to recent statistics, those are who are involved in a car accident and are not wearing a seat belt have an 83% percent chance of death. That number drops to just 34% when the person is wearing a seat belt. The Commonwealth is also entitled to an additional $13.6 million in federal funding if it tightens its seat belt law.
Source: Seat belt law change could be difference between life and death, MetroWest Daily News, May 30, 2010
Contact a Boston car crash attorney if you have been injured in a car, bus, or truck accident.