Posts Tagged ‘Belt’

Alleged seat belt violation leads to NC DWI and felony charges

Friday, May 4th, 2012

Police have arrested a North Carolina man on a long string of criminal charges after a car chase that allegedly began in North Wilkesboro and ended in Hays. The allegations arose from an alleged seat belt violation. The North Carolina Highway Patrol says the 20-year-old was driving while impaired on allegations that he was under the influence of marijuana and cocaine at the time of the chase.

Law enforcement asserts that the man was traveling with his 39-year-old mother, and she has been charged with aiding and abetting DWI and aiding and abetting her son in driving while revoked.

In addition to the DWI charges, the 20-year-old man is accused of underage DWI, as he remains under the age of 21 and police say that he was driving at a time when his provisional license was revoked. The young man, however, is facing other very serious charges in relation to the alleged 40-minute police chase.

Law enforcement accuses the Mulberry man of felony level charges, including speeding to elude arrest, and felony drug possession and weapons charges. A string of alleged traffic violations have also been tacked on to the list of allegations.

The alleged incident reportedly arose when a North Carolina Trooper says he noticed a driver operating a vehicle without a seat belt in North Wilkesboro. The Trooper says that he made a U-turn and the alleged unbelted driver committed some minor traffic violations.

The Trooper claims that he jumped to the conclusion that the driver must have been impaired and the Trooper activated his lights and sirens to make a traffic stop. Apparently that’s when the Trooper claims the chase was on.

The Mulberry man has reportedly been released from the Wilkes County Jail after posting a ,000 bond.

Source: Wilkes Journal-Patriot, “Numerous charges filed after high-speed chase Wednesday,” April 6, 2012

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Did Seat Belt Use Mean Fewer Florida Car Accidents in 2010?

Friday, February 4th, 2011

According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the number of fatal Florida car accidents in 2010 represented a thirty-year low, even though the population of the state has doubled. In 2010, Florida saw a 5% decrease in fatal car accidents, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. 2009 saw 2,563 fatal Florida car accidents while 2010 had only 2,430.

Despite the good news, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles warns that car accidents are still the leading cause of death for Florida residents between the ages of 5 and 34. Despite this, experts at the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles believe that a number of factors have caused lower numbers of accidents:

1) Seat belt use. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, more motorists are using seat belts. This is key in preventing fatal car crashes, according to experts, since seat belts help prevent serious Florida brain injuries and spinal cord injuries in an accident, making accident victims more likely to survive accidents.

2) Stricter laws. Florida has passed many new laws over the past thirty years to help prevent Florida drunk driving accidents and other types of accidents. Penalties for DUI, for example, have increased while new laws have been implemented to help stop aggressive driving and dangerous driving.

3) Awareness programs. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles as well as local law enforcement have a number of awareness programs to raise knowledge about seat belt use, drunk driving dangers, and other important driving rules. Awareness programs are important in reminding drivers to stay safe. In many cases, law enforcement agencies combine awareness programs with enforcement programs designed to catch and remove dangerous drivers from the roads.

Florida Car Accident Lawyer Blog