On Tuesday, March 29, 2016, a teen was killed in a car crash in Reading Township, Michigan when his vehicle struck a railroad crossing pole. MLive reported that the vehicle, a 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage then spun out and laid to rest on the side of S. Edon Road just north of Lilac Road. The accident appeared to have occurred shortly after 9 P.M. The driver, Kade Parish Moes, a sixteen year old from Hillsdale, Michigan, was not wearing his seatbelt and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The passenger of the vehicle, who was wearing a seatbelt, was taken to Parkview Regional Hospital via Samaritan Medical Transport of Fort Wayne. There has been no update of the passenger's condition, but it is safe to say that the seatbelt she was wearing saved her life, for the time being.
This crash is a brutal reminder that the leading cause of deaths for teens in this country is auto accidents. Young adults also have the highest crash related injury rates among all drivers. According to the Centers For Disease Control And Prevention, seat belts reduce serious crash related injuries and deaths by about half. Of all teenagers who died in crashes in 2012, about 55% were not wearing their seat belts. Men are also 10% less likely to wear their seat belts than females. Passengers in the rear seating portion of a vehicle are less likely than those in the front seat to wear their seat belts also, making them far more at risk to injure themselves or die in a car crash.
Every state in the United States of America has laws requiring seat belt use. Although the laws may vary in severity, each state requires drivers to wear a seat belt and almost all states require passengers to do so as well. Police have stepped up their coverage of the issue in recent years with the ‘Click It Or Ticket’ campaign, but it is the driver's and the passengers' responsibility to ensure their own safety when travelling in an automobile. The time to wear a seat belt is not just after being pulled over for not wearing one, it’s every time a driver gets in the car to travel any distance. As the statistics show, wearing a seat belt is literally the difference between life and death in many automobile collisions.
If you or someone you know has been involved in a motor vehicle accident, call The Michigan Law Firm PLLC. Our attorneys are highly experienced in handling all types of motor vehicle accidents, including car crashes. We help victims of automobile collisions identify and receive any benefits they may be entitled to, under Michigan Law. Call us today, at 844.4MI.FIRM for a free consultation.