South Carolina Attorney Urges Parents To Talk With Teen Drivers About Seat Belt Use

Columbia, South Carolina (PRWEB) October 26, 2010

South Carolina personal injury lawyer Bert Louthian says parents should take the time to remind their teen drivers about the vital importance of wearing seat belts.

?Unfortunately, I think young and inexperienced drivers tend to see seat belts as optional,? says Louthian, a partner in The Louthian Law Firm, P.A., which represents car accident and truck accident victims.

?With National Teen Driver Safety Week having just occurred, it?s the ideal time to remind teens that seat belts are not optional. Instead, they?re required by law and absolutely necessary for protecting them if they are in a motor vehicle accident.?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), teen drivers buckle up less frequently than any other age group. In a 2006 NHTSA survey, only 76 percent of teens reported observing seat belt use.

That?s an alarming statistic, considering the high rate of serious injuries and fatalities suffered by those who are not buckled up at the time of a car or truck collision, Louthian says.

Through Oct. 18, 2010, a total of 466 people have died this year in automobile accidents on South Carolina interstate routes, highways and streets, according to the S.C. Department of Public Safety (SCDPS), including 29 deaths so far in the month of October.

Out of the state?s 2010 traffic fatalities, 256 victims were reported to not be wearing seat belts, or roughly 55 percent, the SCDPS reports.

?Teen drivers need to know the risk of a catastrophic or fatal injury if they drive without a seat belt,? Louthian says. ?They should also know that studies show that wearing a seat belt reduces the risk of suffering a fatal injury by as much as 50 percent.?

According to the SCDPS, seat belts help to prevent ejection, shift car crash forces to the strongest parts of the body?s structure, spread forces over a wide area of the body, allow the body to slow down gradually and protect the head and spinal cord from injury.

Since 2005, South Carolina has followed a primary enforcement seat belt law, meaning that a police officer has authority to stop and ticket a driver for not wearing a seat belt. In the wake of the law, seat belt use has increased from 69.7 percent in 2005 to 81.5 percent in 2009, the SCDPS reports.

?The question is ? are your teen drivers getting the message? Now is as good of a time as any to make sure they are getting it,? Louthian says. ?As a personal injury lawyer, I have witnessed the devastating impact of car and truck accidents on victims and their families, and that?s why I feel strongly that we need to make sure our young drivers are driving safely.?

About The Louthian Law Firm

The Louthian Law Firm, P.A., of Columbia, S.C., has been obtaining fair compensation for personal injury victims since 1959. The firm was founded by Herbert Louthian, who has more than 50 years of trial experience and is licensed to practice in all courts in South Carolina. The Louthian Law Firm focuses on personal injury cases involving medical malpractice; car, truck and motorcycle accidents; and other serious and catastrophic injuries throughout South Carolina. For a free, confidential case evaluation, contact the firm by phone at (866) 410-5656 or through its online form.

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Providence Personal Injury Lawyer Urges Caution On Rhode Island's Highways During Thanksgiving Season

Providence, RI (PRWEB) November 25, 2010

The best way for Americans to ensure they enjoy this Thanksgiving break is to match the abundance on the table with an abundance of caution on the highway, says a leading Rhode Island personal injury lawyer.

?In my practice, I see the damage done by people driving when drunk, drowsy or distracted. The risk goes up with holiday driving. Be sober, alert and careful,? says Mark W. Gemma of Gemma Law Associates of Providence, RI.

The Thanksgiving break brings the highest traffic volume of the year. State police measure it as a 102-hour holiday period starting at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 24th, through 11:59 p.m. Sunday, November 28th.

During that time the Rhode Island State Police will be maintaining high visibility with patrols targeting impaired or intoxicated drivers, seat belt and child restraint violations, aggressive drivers, speeding violations, texting violations and other traffic violations.

?Troopers will practice zero tolerance with regard to impaired, drunk or drugged drivers, as well as child restraint and seat belt violations," said Colonel Brendan P. Doherty, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, in a prepared statement.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is putting a special emphasis this holiday on seatbelt use. According to NHTSA, when lap and shoulder belts are used properly, the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger car occupants is reduced by 45 percent, and the risk of moderate to serious injury is reduced by 50 percent.

While seat belt use is at a record high of 85 percent nationwide, 45 million Americans still fail to buckle up when they get in a motor vehicle. On any given day, NHTSA reports, about 38 passenger vehicle occupants who are not buckled up are killed in motor vehicle crashes.

In 2008 alone, nearly 13,000 unbuckled passenger vehicle occupants lost their lives on U.S. roadways, the agency says. It is estimated that nearly one third of these lives could have been saved if they had been properly belted. NHTSA statistics also show that those least likely to buckle up are teens, young adults, males, nighttime riders, motorists traveling on rural roads and individuals traveling in pickup trucks.

?Buckling your seatbelt is such an easy step you can take to stay safe during the holidays,? Gemma said. ?Take a minute to put on your seatbelt and make sure you arrive safely at your destination.?

About Gemma Law Associates, Inc.

Gemma Law Associates, Inc., is a Providence, Rhode Island, personal injury law firm that has represented the people of Rhode Island for more than 48 years while earning a reputation for success in several practice areas, including drunk driving accidents, car accidents, personal injury, workers? compensation, Social Security disability, divorce, criminal defense and bankruptcy law. The law firm?s staff works as a team to ensure success in cases and is backed by a state-of-the-art collection of resources, including an advanced computerized case management system and an extensive legal library.

The firm represents clients throughout the state of Rhode Island, including Providence, Pawtucket, Warwick, Washington County and Newport County. To learn more about Gemma Law Associates, Inc., call (401) 467-2300 or use the firm?s online contact form.

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