Two Seconds Can SaveYour Teen's Life

Two seconds are all it takes to create a safety state of mind, according to AJC guest columnist Tom Hazlett.  His first wife was killed in a car accident and his young son, who was unbuckled, suffered severe brain trauma when he was thrown from the vehicle.  Hazlett's article explores the importance of consistently wearing seatbelts.  Seatbelts keep the driver and passengers in the correct position to be protected by the vehicle's airbags.  Airbags and seatbelts need to be used together for maximum safety of the occupants.  Victims of a collision are much safer when they remain inside the vehicle.  Ejection or being tossed around during a collision greatly increases the likelihood of death or serious injury.  Unbuckled passengers can become missiles within a vehicle during a collision, injuring even the buckled passengers severely. According to Teens in the Driver Seat, a safety group, more than 6,000 teens die in car crashes each year.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's data shows that 4,497 teens ages 16 through 20 have been killed in car wrecks since 2008.  These sobering statistics remind us to remind our teen drivers - as well as ourselves - to spend the extra two seconds necessary to save our lives or prevent serious injury every time we get into a car.  If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of the negligence of another driver, please call our office 24 hours a day for a free consultation at 888-973-2540 (888-WRECK-404).