There should be no doubt by now that seatbelts and airbags save lives. After all, they are now standard on just about every vehicle purchased in the United States. Used together, an airbag and a seatbelt can significantly reduce the risk of death and serious injury when involved in an auto accident. However, the risk of death and serious injury increases when a person does not wear a seatbelt and relies solely on the airbag alone.
In Florida, the law requires that all adults and children under the age of 18 in the front seat of a vehicle wear a seatbelt. This is a primary enforcement law in Florida, meaning that a law officer can execute a traffic stop simply for having no seatbelt. It is recommended that children remain in the back seat until at least 12 years of age.
The TC Palm reports that two men have been killed in a rollover crash on the Florida Turnpike.
The crash occurred along the Florida Turnpike near mile marker 165 at about 10:30 a.m. on July 4th.
According to a report from the Florida Highway Patrol, five people were traveling north in a sport-utility vehicle. The driver lost control of the vehicle, striking the right guardrail, causing the vehicle to overturn.
Two of the men who died, identified as a 35-year-old and a 25-year-old, were not wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash. The driver of the vehicle, a 36-year-old Ocala man, suffered from serious injuries.
A 26-year-old female and a 1-year-old were buckled in. They suffered from minor injuries in the crash.
The crash remains under investigation.
