Atlanta Seatbelt Injury Lawyers
Seatbelt Issues
Georgia has enacted laws requiring drivers and front-seat passengers to wear seatbelts while the vehicle is being operated on public roadways. O.C.G.A. § 40-8-76.1. Georgia law also mandates that children under the age of six wear seatbelts. O.C.G.A. § 40-8-76. In many states, if you are injured in an accident but you were not wearing your seatbelt at the time of the collision, insurance companies and their defense lawyers will attempt to argue that you would not have been injured if you were properly buckled in. In making this argument, the defense seeks to prove that you were comparatively negligent in causing the injuries you suffered during an accident. To use this defense, however, the other driver's insurance company must prove that your unbuckled seatbelt contributed to, or was a cause of, your injuries. Georgia courts, however, will not admit evidence of failure to wear seatbelts in Atlanta automobile accident cases. O.C.G.A. 40-8-76.1(d).
