According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2018, 89.6% of people wore seat belts. In 2017, the use of seat belts saved 14,955 lives. In 2017, there were 37,133 deaths in auto accidents. 47% of those killed were not wearing seat belts. It is estimated that if seat belts had been used in these accidents, they could have saved 2,549 lives. Seat belt use by those in the front seats of a car can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 45%. It can lower the risk of moderate to critical injury by 50%. Male passengers are more likely to not use seat belts. 51% of men killed in accidents in 2017 were not wearing seat belts.
The Dothan Eagle reports that a Eufaula resident was involved in a wreck in Florida, leaving one man dead.
The incident occurred on the afternoon of Friday, August 30th in Florida. The name of the 55-year-old male driver has not been released. He was driving a 2008 Nissan Titan westbound on an unnamed road in Santa Rosa County, Florida.
The driver went off of the north shoulder, causing the driver to overcorrect. The truck traveled back across the westbound lanes, then overturned. The vehicle continued to roll where it came to rest on the south shoulder of the freeway.
During the crash, the Titan lost a wheel, which then struck another vehicle, a 2014 Toyota Camry. 68-year-old John Bouchard was driving, and his passenger was Mauldin Carter, who was 72.
The unidentified driver was not wearing a seat belt and was taken to Sacred Heart Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Bouchard and Carter were not injured.