All people have to wear seat belts when they are driving. If you’re in the habit of skipping this fundamental safety measure, you should know that it’s one of the first things that your car accident attorney will ask about in the event that you are actually in a car accident. You should not assume that a car accident will never happen to you or to your passengers.
Even if the other driver was clearly at fault during a specific car accident, if you were not wearing a seat belt during the accident, that will be taken into account during the case. The other car accident attorney might argue that your injuries would have been less severe if you had worn a seat belt, which will affect what will ultimately happen regarding your medical expenses.
It goes without saying that wearing a seatbelt saves lives, but it is also a good idea to be sure that all of the passengers in the car are wearing seat belts because if all of you are involved in an accident, it might just make a difference in legal situations. However, that does not necessarily mean that you are personally going to be held liable for their decisions.
If you are driving with people who are beneath the age of fourteen, then you are responsible for making sure that they are all wearing their seat belts. This is the case even if you are not related to them. If the passengers are over the age of fourteen, then it isn’t your fault if they are not wearing seat belts. However, it’s still a good idea to have an informal policy where you more or less require people to wear seat belts if they are driving with you for obvious reasons.
It might be hard to check on passengers in the back seat in order to make sure that they are wearing their seat belts, but it should be obvious if the person sitting next to you is not wearing a seat belt. If you are all wearing seat belts, a potential case against you will go more smoothly one way or another. Almost any car accident attorney will encourage people to wear seat belts. You’re certainly not responsible for whether or not the people in the other car wore seat belts if an accident does happen, and they’re not responsible for any decisions that you made about seat belts.