IIHS Study: Unbuckled Rear Seat Passengers Could Kill Front Seat Passengers

New Study That Concludes: An Unbuckled Rear Seat Passenger Can Kill A Front Seat Passenger During an Accident

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) recently published findings from a study the organization recently concluded. The test examined the dynamics of an unrestrained passenger and the effects they could have on a front seat passenger. The study also examined motorists’ attitudes toward “buckling up” in the back seat and found some disturbing and dangerous trends. If you or a loved in suffered a severe injury or died in a car crash in Georgia, Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law can help. Montlick & Associates’ Georgia car accident attorneys have decades of experience dedicated to maximizing their clients’ opportunity to recover damages from an auto wreck.

The short video depicting the crash test is all anyone really needs to see to convince them to buckle up in the backseat. The crash test video shows an unrestrained crash dummy sitting behind a restrained driver. The accident vehicle is equipped with driver’s side airbags. In the test, a car slammed into the test medium at 35 miles per hour to simulate a frontal crash impact. The unrestrained passenger essentially becomes airborne and slams into the driver’s seat. The driver is propelled into the airbag and steering column with devastating force. According to the IIHS, drivers are twice as likely to be killed in crashes where the backseat passenger is unrestrained. Not only does the driver absorb a tremendous blow from the rear seat passenger, but the passenger is also tossed about the interior of the crash car. The effects of the accident on the rear seat passenger are important to note because more than half of the people who die in motor vehicle crashes each year are unbelted according to the IIHS.

IIHS Frontal Crash With an Unbelted Rear-Seat Passenger

The prevailing attitude toward using a seat belt in the backseat is more relaxed than front seat passengers and drivers. According to the IIHS survey conducted at or near the same time as the crash test described above, many people surveyed believe that the backseat is a safe place in a car. Therefore, they incorrectly reason, using a seatbelt is superfluous or unnecessary. This attitude has been particularly prevalent among people who use ride-hailing services or ride in taxis frequently. Statistics show that a person is eight times more likely to be injured when riding unrestrained in the backseat than when riding while wearing a seatbelt.

Whether you buckle up might depend on the demographic into which you fall. Adults aged 35 to 54 are most likely to refuse to wear a seatbelt in the backseat. Women have a greater tendency to use seat belts in the backseat than men. Additionally, those who have higher educational levels tend to use seat belts more often than people having attained lower educational success.

In Georgia, a backseat passenger does not have to be restrained by law. In contrast, the driver and front seat passenger must wear their seat belts. Forty percent of the respondents in the IIHS study indicated that they do not wear seat belts in the back because no law requires them to do so. The study also revealed that a seat belt warning, like those now commonly in use in the front part of vehicles, would help remind them to wear them even though they are seated in the back. IIHS studies also show that fatal accidents are less frequent in vehicles equipped with seatbelt warning signals.

Be sure to visit our Family Safety Programs and Resources web portal to learn vehicle safety tips and learn about Montlick & Associates’ community outreach programs.

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If you have been injured in any type of accident involving someone else’s negligence, call Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law for your free consultation today to learn about your legal rights as well as what steps can be taken to protect those rights. Montlick & Associates has been representing those who suffer serious injuries throughout all of Georgia and in the Southeast for over 39 years, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state. Our Georgia car accident injury lawyers have been representing those who suffer serious injuries throughout all of Georgia and the Southeast for over 39 years.