From AAA: So far this year at least 10 persons, including five children, who were not buckled up at the time, were killed, and one other unbelted vehicle occupant suffered grievous life-threatening injuries, in a series of fatal single-vehicle crashes in Prince George’s County.
- Prince George’s County is a hotspot of fatal crashes claiming the lives and limbs of unrestrained drivers and unbuckled vehicle occupants. “Between 2012 and 2015, an average of 15 unrestrained motorists were killed and 39 unbelted motorists were seriously injured in vehicle crashes in Prince George’s County annually,” according to the County Government. This year, the lack of seat belt use is a worrisome trend in the County. Equally troublesome, “more than three out of 4 people who are ejected during a fatal crash die from their injuries.”
- As a tragic case in point, a least seven crash victims, five children and two young adults, were killed after they were ejected from the vehicles upon impact in separate incidents on county roads. They were reportedly unbelted at the time. In 2018, “105 people died in crashes on Maryland roadways while not wearing a seat belt,” according to the Maryland MVA. Approximately one-third (“32.5%) of unbelted crashes in Maryland” occurred in the Washington Metropolitan area. Always buckle up. Insist passengers are belted, too.
THE FINE: $83 (including court costs). Police can stop you for not wearing your seat belt. Each person who is not buckled up (driver and passenger) can receive a ticket for not wearing a seat belt.
If any passengers younger than 16 are not wearing a seat belt, the driver will receive an $83 ticket for each offense.