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Seatbelts are the Safest Safety Feature

Wearing a seatbelt can mean the difference between life and death in a car accident.

Car enthusiasts keep track of the newest safety features that promise to make cars more error-proof. In fact, many recent models of cars contain features that alert you to cars in your blind spot, help you back out of driveways, and even brake automatically to prevent crashes. None of these features, however, does as much to prevent serious injuries resulting from car accidents as the humble safety belt. Airbags help, too, but a seatbelt and no airbags offer more protection than airbags and no seatbelt. Seatbelts improve the outcomes of people involved in car accidents at any speed. If the car is traveling at a low speed, the chances are good that any injuries you sustain in the crash will be minor. An accident that took place last month in Murrieta Hot Springs is a sobering reminder of how bad car accidents at relatively low speeds can be if the driver is not wearing a seatbelt. If you do wear a seatbelt, though, the possibility of injuries still exists, and if you do get injured, you should contact a Murrieta car accident lawyer.

Woman Without Seatbelt Dies in Single Vehicle Crash in Murrieta Hot Springs

On August 10, in the mid-afternoon, Allison Brighton was driving her 2016 Kia Forte eastbound on Murrieta Hot Springs Road near Winchester Road. According to eyewitnesses, Brighton was driving 30 miles per hour or slightly slower when her car veered off the road and onto the sidewalk and eventually struck a bridge abutment. When first responders arrived at the scene, they pronounced Brighton dead. She was 48 years old.

An investigation into the causes of the accident, but what investigators know so far is that Brighton was the only person in the car at the time of the crash. They also know that she was not wearing a seatbelt.

How Important is it to Wear a Seatbelt?

Of all the improvements in vehicle technology that automobiles have witnessed over the past century, seatbelts are the most effective at preventing serious injuries in the event of a collision. That is not the only reason you should wear a seatbelt whenever you are a driver or a passenger in a car. If the police pull you over and you do not have a seatbelt on, you can get a traffic ticket for not wearing a seatbelt.

Seatbelts are also important when it comes to insurance claims and car accident lawsuits. Under California’s comparative fault laws, not wearing a seatbelt can reduce the amount of settlement money you can be awarded to cover your accident-related medical bills.

Contact a Murrieta Car Accident Lawyer

Even if you were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of your accident, a car accident lawyer in Riverside County can help you recover compensation. Contact Gibbs & Fuerst LLP in Murrieta, California to set up a consultation about your car accident case.