Most of us put on our seatbelts in the front seat, but what about the back? Soon, you will be required to do so, or you could face the consequences of a ticket.
Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the 100 deadliest days of summer. More than a million Virginia drivers are expected to hit the road, which means more chances for car accidents.
“It’s not just about you and your choice to buckle up. It’s about you causing other people in the car to be seriously injured or killed,” said Christy King, a mom from Virginia who is working to raise awareness about a new law. King’s push to inform others comes after a tragic accident changed her life forever.
“The one time he didn’t buckle up, that took his life, so obviously I’m an advocate of seatbelt usage and am here to support the ‘Click it or Ticket’ campaign,“ King said.
At a press conference on Friday, King announced her partnership with the DMV, and state and local police as they push the ‘Click it or Ticket’ campaign.
But this year, the campaign has a new meaning. King pushed for a new backseat seatbelt law in Virginia after her son, Chris, who had just graduated high school, tragically died in a car crash summer of 2020 in Williamsburg. She said he was sitting in the backseat.
“He was clocked at about 80 miles per hour before he ran it off the road and hit the ditch, and my son was thrown from the car to his death.“
King worked with Representative Karen Keys-Gamarra to get House Bill 2475 passed, also known as the Christopher King Backseat Law.
As of July 1, everyone in the car—no matter where you are sitting—must be buckled up. Adults who are not will be ticketed.
“We scream it to the hills all the time, but with the law changing here so very close to the holiday, it’s a good opportunity to educate the driving public about the change,” said Morgan Dean, with AAA Mid-Atlantic.
AAA is also working to help spread the message. According to Dean, 26,000 more drivers than last year will be traveling on Virginia roads.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that buckling your seat belt can reduce your risk of death in a crash by 45%.
“Drivers can’t control what’s going to happen on the roadways, but we can control what’s going to happen in our cars,” said Dean. “Putting that seatbelt on and making sure everyone else in the vehicle is buckled up is the first important step.“
A recent statewide seat belt survey reports that last year, 50 percent of people killed in a crash were not wearing their seat belt.
This is a sobering reminder that buckling up could save your life.