Over the past few decades, there have been a number of major campaigns promoting the proper use of seat belts. Drivers and passengers are frequently encouraged to “buckle up” to stay safe. What many of these campaigns fail to tell people, however, is that “fastening your seat belts” does not always guarantee your safety if you are in an auto accident.

The Philadelphia-based personal injury law firm of Reiff & Bily represents clients throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania who have suffered serious seat belt-related injuries in auto accidents. Our lawyers have the knowledge, experience, and resources to represent you, and have handled automotive and seat belt injury cases since 1979.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reports that in 2005, there were 100,381 injuries and 1,616 crash related deaths in Pennsylvania.  Seat belts were not used in at least 9.1% of all auto accidents resulting in at least 54.3% of the total auto accident deaths in 2005.  Pennsylvania’s seat belt law requires drivers and front seat passengers to be properly buckled up when riding in a passenger car.  Children age 8 and older, but under age 18, are required to be secured in a seat belt system anywhere in the vehicle.  The combination of lap/shoulder seat belts reduces the risk of fatal injury to front seat passenger car occupants by 45% and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50%.

Seat belts are a necessary safety feature in all cars, trucks, and SUVs. They can help save lives when they are designed, installed, and used correctly. However, a seat belt that is not used properly, has a design defect, or was incorrectly installed, can cause serious injuries or death during a catastrophic motor vehicle crash.

Seat Belt Defects

There are millions of motor vehicles on the roads today with defective seat belts or faulty restraint systems. Auto manufacturers have known about these defects for decades but haven’t done anything to design safer seat belts or notify the public that their motor vehicles may be equipped with defective seat belts or a faulty restraint system.

Examples of seat belts with design defects that can reduce their effectiveness:

• Lap Belts: Seat belts that do not include a shoulder harnesses and cross over the lap of the occupant. 
• Defective Automatic Shoulder Belts: Can cause neck injuries or lead to decapitation during a traffic crash.
• Malfunctioning Retractors: Seat belts that fail to lock during an auto collision can cause the same injuries that seat belts were meant to avoid.
• Inertial Unlatching & False Latching Seat Belts: Seat belts that unlatch during a motor vehicle accident can cause severe injury.
• Other Defects: Door-mounted seatbelt systems, inadequate seat belt geometry, failure of the seatbelt's retractor, torn or ripped webbing, or vehicle system failure.

If you are in a motor vehicle accident accident, first check on the well-being of tall involved and exchange information.  Always keep your insurance information in your glove box.  Call 9-1-1 or the police to report the accident and never leave the scene of the accident.  Double check your insurance coverage and report the accident to the insurance company.  There are three important factors to automobile accidents: (1) liability; (2) establishing damages; and (3) determining where to collect the damages.  [ken can you fix this?] Pennsylvania personal injury lawyer Jeffrey Reiff and the experienced auto accident lawyers and Reiff and Bily will examine the facts, evaluate your claim, determine which parties and insurance companies are responsible, and organize all of the details of preparing and presenting your automobile accident case. 

The lawyers at Reiff and Bily work on a contingent fee basis and charge only a percentage of the recovery.  We do not get paid unless we can successfully recover compensation for you.  We have had handled thousands of automobile accident cases and have successfully recovered in excess of $150 million dollars from our opponents for physical injuries and emotional damages.

To schedule your free consultation to discuss your auto accident case with an experienced Reiff & Bily lawyer, call (800) 421-9595 or contact us online.