Lack Of Seat Belt Use Factor In Matteson Accident Fatality

A Chicago man recently died in a suburban Matteson car accident. The Chicago Tribune reports that the crash happened last week on the ramp between westbound U.S. Route 30 to Northbound I-57. Police officers and accident reconstruction experts were on the scene and determined that the severity of a crash was linked to the failure of the two vehicle occupants to wear seat belts.

It is unclear how this crash happened or what the Fernwood man hit, but his passenger was ejected from the vehicle. The driver, who died, was not ejected.

The passenger was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, and an update on the passenger’s condition is not available. The passenger’s gender and age have also not been released to the public.

Seat belt use is one of the key factors in determining how severe a vehicle occupant will be injured in a crash.

“When it comes to driving safely, one of the most effective ways to protect yourself and your family is to use a seat belt,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement accompanying the release of the newest federal seat belt statistics. Seat belts help save lives by not only keeping a vehicle occupant within the car, but by also keeping the occupant from flying around within the car.

CNN recently reported that seat belt use reached an all-time high of 86 percent in 2012. This is two percent higher than the year before.

 

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