Were You Going “Seatbelt-Less” When You were Injured in a Car Accident in Palmdale, California? Here’s What You Need to Know about California Seatbelt Laws
Most Palmdale drivers understand how important it is for both drivers and passengers of cars, trucks, and other vehicles to wear their seatbelts. Indeed, most Palmdale drivers were taught at a very young age – perhaps the very first time they were strapped into their car seats – that seatbelts are essential to motor vehicle travel, and can prevent severe and fatal car accident injuries.
Seatbelts are so important to health and safety that the California Vehicle Code requires drivers and passengers to wear their seatbelts. Here we explain the ins-and-outs of the California seatbelt laws, and what you can do if you were injured in a car accident in Palmdale.
Background of California Vehicle Code Seatbelt Law
California Vehicle Code, VEH §27315 explains, “…a mandatory seatbelt law will contribute to reducing highway deaths and injuries by encouraging greater usage of existing manual seatbelts, that automatic protection systems that require no action by vehicle occupants offer the best hope of reducing deaths and injuries, and that encouraging the use of manual safety belts is only a partial remedy for addressing this major cause of death and injury.” In sum, the California legislature found that seatbelts are so critical to driver and motor vehicle occupant safety that it decided to codify seatbelt safety laws making wearing seat belts mandatory.
Wearing a Seatbelt in California is the Law
Accordingly, the California legislature enacted the following law: “A person shall not operate a motor vehicle on a highway unless that person and all passengers 16 years of age or over are properly restrained by a safety belt.” Excluded from this law are operators of taxicabs “when the taxicab is driven on a city street and is engaged in the transportation of a fare-paying passenger.” It is clear from the California vehicle code that drivers and occupants of motor vehicles must wear seatbelts when driving or riding as passengers in cars in Palmdale.
Impact of Not Wearing a Seatbelt on Your Palmdale Car Accident Case
Wearing a seatbelt is clearly the law in Palmdale, and failure to wear a seatbelt may impact a Palmdale car accident victim’s potential recovery in a civil car accident lawsuit. While California civil personal injury laws entitle car accident victims to recovery compensation from negligent drivers, the failure to wear a seatbelt may limit a car accident victim’s recovery in Palmdale. California personal injury laws are, however, complex, and every case is unique, so it is important to discuss your specific Palmdale car accident case with an experienced Palmdale car accident lawyer.
The experienced Palmdale car accident lawyers at the Trevino Law Firm offer a free and confidential consultation to learn about your case and to see if they can help you get compensation due for your injuries. Contact the experienced Palmdale car accident lawyers at the Trevino Law Firm today and speak to a lawyer about your case for free.
