Don’t Put the Car in Drive Without Your Seatbelt Fastened
For some people it is a habit; a ritual in the sense that they can’t even start their car without putting their seatbelt on. For others, the flashing seat belt light will blink and beep incessantly for miles down the road before they maneuver the seat belt into place while driving. We all know that seatbelts can save lives. The statistic is alarming. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention more than half of the occupants who died in motor vehicle accidents in the United States in 2014 were unrestrained at the time of the crash meaning that seatbelts saved 12,802 lives in 2014!
According to research conducted by the CDC, 91% of New Mexico residents wear seatbelts. Some of this can be attributed to state laws requiring drivers to wear seatbelts. New Mexico state law requires that anyone riding in a motor vehicle that was manufactured with seatbelts wear a seat belt at all times that the vehicle is in motion. A police officer can pull over a vehicle if an occupant is not obeying the seat belt law and violators will be fined $25, may have two points assessed on their license, and potentially face additional fees. Check out this New Mexico seat belt law fact sheet published by the CDC for more details.
The Importance of Child Safety Restraints in Albuquerque
Did you know that motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the United States? This statistic is sickening because many of these deaths can be prevented. Making sure that children have the proper safety restraints and are buckled up, buckled in, at every age, every seat, and every time is immeasurably important.
Using the correct car seat is key and it may seem overwhelming with all of the car seat options and information out there. New Mexico has specific child car seat laws and penalties that follow for those that violate them. If you are unsure of what the law requires or want information on how to safely secure your child, some of the best resources we have found are at Safercar.gov, Healthychildren.org, and CDC.gov.
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