Two Teens Thrown From Vehicle, Two Trapped Inside

The Florida Highway Patrol reported that on June 5, four teens were seriously injured in a one-vehicle crash in Levy County.

Two were ejected from the pickup and two were trapped inside.

Hospitalized with serious injuries were driver Alejandro Mora, 18, and passengers Caleb Rayan Hampton, 16, Armando Mora, 18, and Christina Hampton, 18.

In a press release, the Florida Highway Patrol stated that it is not known why Alejandro Mora drove onto the north shoulder of the road after failing to negotiate a curve.

Mora apparently veered right to avoid a ditch, crossed both lanes of the county road and drove onto the south shoulder. His 2000 Ford Ranger spun counterclockwise, lost traction and tumbled over several times before landing on its passenger side.

One of the injured teens was flown by helicopter to Shands at the University of Florida.

According to FHP Lt. Patrick Riordan, none of the four were wearing their seatbelts, and Alejandro Mora and Caleb Hampton were ejected when the pickup flipped. Riordan added that injuries are often more serious when occupants do not wear seatbelts.

"There is a definite correlation between wearing seatbelts and injuries that are sustained when a vehicle rolls," Riordan said. "There is clear and convincing evidence that when seatbelts are not worn, injuries will be worse."

Riordan said that the four had apparently been swimming at a local spring before the crash occurred. The FHP said the investigation is continuing and charges may be rendered.

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Labels: teen car crash, teen crash, teen injury, teen seat belt use, vehicle accidents, vehicle crash

Sunshine State Looks to Improve Seat Belt Usage Rate

Florida state officials are already beefing up compliance with a new seat belt law that does not go into effect until June 30.

Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill May 6 that permits law enforcement to pull over a passenger vehicle if officers observe the driver or front seat passenger not wearing their seat belt. It replaces the current law, which allows officers to give tickets for not wearing a seat belt only after pulling over a driver for a separate offense, like speeding or a broken tail light.

Promoting even more seat belt awareness, the state's Click It Or Ticket campaign kicked off on Monday and runs through May 31.

While the two-week safety campaign is in effect, state and local police agencies are carrying out public awareness efforts and workshops to improve seat belt use rates and conduct training on child passenger safety and safety seat installation.

"The proper use of a safety belt is the single most important action one can take to increase the chances of surviving a vehicle crash," said Sgt. Chris Gonzalez, with the Collier County Sheriff's Office Traffic Safety Enforcement Bureau. "The Collier County Sheriff's Office is asking that every driver make certain all front and back seat passengers are properly buckled up. A simple click can be the difference between life and death."

According to the Florida Department of Transportation, at 92 percent, the seat belt compliance rate for Collier County is the highest in the state. In 2008, statewide seat belt usage was 79.1 percent, making it No. 35 in the nation and below the national average of 83 percent, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The five states with the highest of seat belt use rates have primary enforcement laws like the one just passed in Florida.

One Naples resident, Tom Contento, 55, is pleased with the law's passage.

"[My children's] safety is my biggest concern," said Contento. "I think safety is more important [than questions about personal freedom]."

A woman vacationing in Naples said it is a law that works well in her home state of Connecticut, where the seat belt usage rate was 88 percent in 2008.

"I don't have a problem with it being a law," said Lisa Masoud, 45. "They do spot checks every once in a while. It works pretty well. I think one of the reasons they do it is they can be funded by the federal government."

When Florida's new law goes into effect, the state will receive a $35 million federal grant allocated to states with primary enforcement laws. That money can be used to fund road projects.

The lure of that funding helped pass the bill this year after it died in at least seven consecutive earlier sessions. The state House of Representatives approved the bill by a 95-20 vote. It passed in the Senate by 33-4.

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Labels: child safety seat, florida traffic laws, seat belt, seat belt law, seat belt safety, teen seat belt use

State Budget Crisis Forcing Seat Belt Law For Pickup Trucks To Center Stage

If Georgia legislators pass a new law requiring adults in pickup trucks to wear seat belts, it would instantly give the state about $4 million in federal highway funds.

In what has become an annual crusade, supporters of the change present Georgia lawmakers with frightening statistics about the number of lives that could be saved and accidents avoided if the law is passed. Yet Georgia has held out, and is now the last state in the nation to specifically exempt adults in pickups from wearing seatbelts.

But Georgia's faces a budget deficit that could exceed $2 billion. The state could spend the $4 million grant to fund road safety programs while saving in the ballpark of $62 million each year in accident-related expenses like medical costs. New Hampshire, with no seat belt requirement for all adult drivers, was denied $3.7 million in grants in 2007.

A Republican physician who has long championed the change, Georgia state Sen. Don Thomas said, "The budget crisis will give this more momentum. It's better to prevent this than to plan funerals."

The federal government has long tied seat belt laws to highway money. In Georgia, minors and adults are required to wear seat belts in all vehicles except pickups.

Requiring adults to wear seat belts can help save lives, of that there's little argument. It's estimated by the National Highway Safety Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation that changing the law would save 21 lives and prevent 300 injuries annually.

Insurance companies and auto associations have long supported the changes, and at the moment no lobbyists are actively working against the effort. But for years, attempts to pass a tougher seat belt law have been blocked by rural legislators who view the rule as unnecessary regulation.

"Adults ought to be smart enough to wear seat belts. We should be responsible enough to do it without having a state law that says so," said state Sen. Jeff Chapman, a Republican from rural Brunswick who voted against the proposal last year, and will vote against it this year.

Pickup drivers in rural parts of the state agree with that sentiment.

Dennis Lewis, a 50-year-old pickup driver who runs a concession stand in southeast Georgia, said, "I use common sense in my life, and in common sense, I'm going to use a seat belt. Do I need another law on the books to say I must use seat belts? I don't think so."

In 2007, Indiana passed the adult seat belt law for pickups, but the state once took a similar position as Georgia.

In recent years, the Georgia Senate has passed proposals to change the seat belt requirements, but the measures often were bottled up in the House. House Speaker Glenn Richardson did not comment on the measure.

The time is ripe to at least seriously consider a change, says a growing number of political heavyweights.

The Senate would give the measure a "fair hearing and consideration," said a spokesman for Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. Last month, Republican Gov. Sonny Perdue said that a debate was appropriate.

"I don't necessarily think we ought to do it for the federal money," Perdue said. "But the kids I'm concerned about are those that are in the modern-day pickups, when they get a crowd of friends in there, and they're fooling around."

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Labels: seat belt, seat belt law, seat belt safety, teen seat belt use