A fatal head-on car crash in Louisa County on Sunday has highlighted the dangers and vital awareness of driving without a seat belt — Sunday’s incident claimed the life of a 19-year-old woman who police say was not wearing her seat belt when her vehicle crossed the center line and struck a pick-up truck head-on, leaving the 67-year-old driver in serious condition.
Recent data show the number of unbelted fatalities of victims aged 15 to 20 is already double that of last year and Virginia Newton of AAA Charlottesville says that’s a big reminder that seat belts save lives:
NEWTON’S CUT: “A lot of people think that airbags are a substitute for seat belts and they just rely on the airbags, but your chances of being ejected from the vehicle in the crash, are pretty much 100 percent.”
Newton points out that if Virginia were to make not wearing a seat belt a primary traffic offense, the state might be able to achieve compliance in line with the national average, which currently stands at 85 percent.